


Flowers and Androids

by NebulaEyes



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Connor Deserves Happiness, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Half-Siblings, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, Elijah Kamski Redemption, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gavin Reed Redemption, Grumpy Hank Anderson, Hanahaki Disease, Hank Anderson Deserves Happiness, Hank Anderson Is a Sweetheart, Hank Anderson Loves Connor, Hank Anderson Swears, Hank Anderson is Bad at Feelings, Hank Anderson is a mess, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Bad At Titles, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Requited Love, The Author Regrets Nothing, Unrequited Love, Worried Hank Anderson, scenes from the game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:54:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 42,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25870168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NebulaEyes/pseuds/NebulaEyes
Summary: Hank was depressed. This wasn't news to anyone. So, he goes to Jimmy's bar for drinks. He sent up a challenge to whoever was listening that if his last chance didn't walk through the door of Jimmy's bar by the time he reached zero, counting down from ten, he was going to end it at home once and for all. Then, someone walks in, not only that, but they're searching for him. In a cruel twist of fate and curiosity, Hank goes along, and soon finds he's developed something he never thought he would for anyone, let alone an android, which just makes everything cruel, because androids can't cure Hanahaki Disease, can they?
Relationships: Hank Anderson/Connor
Comments: 13
Kudos: 66





	1. A Challenge

"Hank, go home. You look like you haven't slept in a week. I'll call you if we need you." Jeffrey told him in the nicest way he could, but Hank knew him better. What Jeffrey was really saying was, 'Get your ass home and get some rest, before I personally make sure you sleep.' So, he went home and crashed on his couch, because the thought of being in his bed was still so foreign to him after his wife left.

Once he was comfortable, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

_When he opened his eyes, he was in a familiar park, and he heard children playing. He looked around and didn't see his wife, but he saw Cole. He was jumping, laughing, screaming, and playing with the other kids. He then asked him to push him on the swing, so he did. "Hey, Dad?" Cole asked as Hank began pushing him on the swing._

_"What is it, kid?"_

_"Can we have an android?"_

_"Don't have enough money right now, kiddo, but maybe someday."_

_"I hope so! They're so cool! I know what I'd call him."_

_"It, Cole. They aren't people."_

_"Yes they are!" Cole said as he dug his feet into the ground beneath the swing to make it stop._

_"Okay, okay. They're people. So, what would you call him?"_

_"I'd call him Connor."_

_"Why that name?"_

_"Well...because it's a cool name. That's why! He could be a badass cop like you."_

_"Watch your mouth, Cole!" Hank scolded, and Cole flinched apologetically._

_"Sorry, Dad."_

_The sorry is what made Hank realize this was a dream...and a memory. Once he was aware, as usual in his lucid dreams, everything slowed until it eventually paused. "Why? Why do I keep remembering this!?" He cried out in agony. "The last time I saw my son smiling! WAKE UP!" He shouted to the air in the dream._

He woke up to his phone going off, and all he could think was, 'Oh HELL NO!' He shook his head and looked at Sumo, who was snoring happily in a corner of the living room. "I can't keep doing this, Sumo. I can't. The dreams won't stop." Hank left to take a shower, change his clothes, and he packed up his pistol and his badge as he usually did. It was muscle memory at his age. He then made sure that Sumo would be able to feed himself at least until the bag ran out. "Be a good dog, Sumo, and love whoever decides to love you after me, okay? I'm gonna go for a few drinks, and then I'm gonna see my boy."

Sumo lifted his head to look at Hank as he walked out of the door. He didn't want to make it obvious for the others to find him, so he went to Jimmy's bar. "What can I do for ya, Hank?" Jimmy asked.

"Usual, thanks."

"You all right, man?" Jimmy asked as he prepared Hank's usual.

"No, but that's why I'm here."

"I can understand that."

After a few drinks, he was disappointed he wasn't as buzzed as he'd usually get, which left him alone to think-shout at a God that he wasn't sure was listening anymore. _'First, my wife cheats on me with another man, divorces me, gives me full custody of Cole, and then you take Cole from me. You take the most important people, and you don't take me!? Do you get a fucking LAUGH out of this!? Huh!? Tell you what! I'll give you one last chance to make it up to me, and if my last chance doesn't come walking through that fucking door in the next ten seconds, I'm leaving the bar and using my service pistol. No chance in missing with that thing! Oh! Or better yet! My ex always told me everyone has a guardian angel, hmm!? Send that one my way! Go ahead! I'll start counting!'_ Hank stared down at his glass and began counting down. _'Ten...'_ He could hear the usual guys in the bar talking about rogue androids. _'...nine...'_ He looked up to watch what he could of the game. _'...eight...'_ He watched as Jimmy cleaned the counters for the twentieth time. _'...seven...'_ A few guys were arguing about the same girl and why they deserved her more. _'...six...'_ A new song started, but he didn't much care for it. _'...five...'_ He began to wonder if he was serious about the countdown, or if he just wanted a desperate rescue. For all he knew, it could've been both. _'...four...'_ A few people left, grumbling about the creepy miserable old man at the bar, meaning him. _'...three...'_ He glanced at the door with a heavy heart. _'...two...'_ He should've known no one would walk in through the- Before he could make it to one, an android of all things walked in, dressed in a white shirt, black tie, grey jacket, black pants, black shoes, and he looked far different from any android he's seen. _'YOU'VE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME! THERE'S NO FUCKING WAY! THE BALLS ON YOU! THE SENSE OF HUMOR ON YOU!'_ He mentally shouted at God. _'You know what? No...it's just an idiot android that can't read. He's not here for me.'_

"Lieutenant Anderson. My name is Connor..."

_'Again you've got to be FUCKING kidding me!'_

"...I'm the android sent by CyberLife. I looked for you at the station, but nobody knew where you were. They said you were probably having a drink nearby. I was lucky to find you at the fifth bar."

 _'Yeah, apparently I'm lucky, too. Jenna always told me not to test the big man upstairs, but fuck it, fine! I'll see what the fucker wants!'_ Hank stalled his movements as he became stiff and guarded towards the android. "What do you want?"

"You were assigned a case, early this evening. A homicide, involving a CyberLife android. In accordance with procedure, the company has allocated a specialized model to assist investigators."

"Well, I don't need any assistance. Especially not from a plastic asshole like you. So, just be a good lil' robot and get the fuck out of here." He was NOT going to accept help from an android! A human got high and an android had to do surgery. All of that fucking intelligence and how it was more advanced than a human and Cole still died.

"I understand that some people are not comfortable in the presence of androids, but I am-"

"-I am PERFECTLY comfortable. Now, back off before I crush you like an empty beer can!"

"Listen, I think you should stop drinking, and come with me. It'll make life easier for both of us."

 _'Yeah, I bet it would. Apparently I have a plastic guardian angel and he's already telling me to stop drinking! Just my fucking luck!'_ He wanted to say something, but Connor beat him to it, and surprised him with his next words.

"You know what? I'll buy you one for the road. What do ya say? Bartender, The same again, please!"

"See that, Jim? Wonders of technology. Make it a double." He watched as Jim poured the drink, and he took the drink into him, feeling the burn of it against his throat as he thought, _'He's not a normal android. Androids advise against drinking. Maybe this one's different from the rest.'_ He let out a heavy sigh and couldn't help the inward laugh he gave himself before he looked to the android and asked, "Did you say homicide?"

"I did."

They left the bar, got into Hank's car, Hank turned his music up loud, turned the police lights on, and drove to the address Connor gave him. Once they were there, he shook a firm hand at Connor as he said, "You wait here. I won't be long."

"My instructions are to accompany you to the crime scene, Lieutenant."

For some reason, it made Hank feel just a bit better about the way Connor phrased it. He couldn't pinpoint why. Perhaps it was that the android was showing the barest hint of stubbornness that he never saw in other androids. Other androids would be given an instruction by any human, and they had to obey. This one, Connor, was being persistent, but in a diplomatic way. However, he wasn't about to play all nice-nice with an android he just met, and who dragged him out of what was supposed to be his last night ever. "Listen, I don't give a fuck about your instructions. I told you to wait here, so you shut the fuck up, and you wait here."

He got out of the car, blew off the guy from the news station and went to talk to someone. He thought that was the end of it, until he heard, "Androids are not permitted beyond this point."

He turned around, _'There's no way he didn't-He fucking did! Fine!'_ Resisting the urge to cuss him out one side and down the other, he shouted, "It's with me!" And the android allowed Connor to pass. There was no way he was going to refer Connor as a he to others like his son wanted. Not until at least ONE android proved his son right, and that they're people! _'He really disobeyed an order...'_ He wasn't going to ask about it, so instead he asked, "What part of stay in the car didn't you understand?"

"Your order contradicted my instructions, Lieutenant."

 _'Ah, so that's why.'_ It ticked him off, but he couldn't blame the android...yet. "You don't talk, you don't touch anything, and you stay outta my way. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Evening, Hank!" He heard Ben call out. "We were starting to think you weren't gonna show."

"Yeah, that was the plan, until this asshole found me."

"So...got yourself an android, huh?"

"Oh, very funny..." They continued inside, and he got the briefing on Carlos Ortiz. They looked around, but as they did that, Hank noticed Connor doing the same thing. He expressed his disgust when Connor LICKED, fucking LICKED the blood off the knife, and he continued to watch after that, intrigued by the walking talking forensics lab. Eventually he watched it walk out a back door into a garden of some sort. "Door was locked from the inside. Killer must've gone out this way."

"There are no footprints aside from Officer Collins' size ten shoes."

"Well, this happened weeks ago." He said as he walked forward enough to stand by his side, which left him with an unfortunate twinge of 'right' that he couldn't fucking place for the life of him. "Tracks could've faded." He added.

"No, this type of soil would've retained a trace." He looked at Connor at that moment, and then the android looked at him with those big brown eyes. "Nobody's been out here for a long time."

 _'Great. He can manage to sound eerie as fuck, too!'_ Hank inwardly groaned before he followed Connor back inside. Hank continued to watch Connor...observe...scan...whatever the fuck he was doing, until Connor crouched down in front of Carlos' body, and then slowly got up.

"He was stabbed...twenty-eight times."

"Yeah, seems like the killer really must've had it in for him." He said as he thought, _'No fucking shit! The guy is high on Red Ice. Kind of serves him right!'_

He walked away to a corner, thinking he would observe some more, but Connor followed him. "Lieutenant, I think I've figured out what happened."

"Oh yeah?" He shrugged. _'This should be good.'_ He let out a short breath of indifference before he said, "Shoot, I'm all ears."

"It all started...in the kitchen."

'Huh...' Hank thought as he followed Connor back to the kitchen. "There are obvious signs of a struggle, question is...what happened here." Hank then listened to Connor explain everything. The victim, the android, and then Hank mentioned that although all of it matched with the evidence, it doesn't tell them where the android went. Connor stated it was damaged by the bat and lost some...thirium. "Lost some what?"

"Thirium. You call it Blue Blood. It's the fluid that powers androids' biocomponents. It evaporates after a few hours and becomes invisible to the naked eye."

 _'Naked eye, huh? Does that mean...?'_ He put two and two together and couldn't help the small satisfied smirk on his face. "Ah...but I bet you can still see it, can't you?"

"Correct."

"Yeah..." He watched Connor look around again, searching the floor with a focused gaze, then before he knew it, the android was picking up a chair. He asked him about it, and apparently Connor was going to go check something. Moments later, Connor shouted from the attic saying the android was up there. He shouted for Ben and Chris, while trying to hide the impressed feeling within his chest. _'That bastard did it! He found the android!'_

* * *

Eventually they made it to the precinct with the android and straight to the interrogation room, where Gavin was already headed, due to Fowler's orders, and Connor followed them. He tried questioning the suspect android, but nothing came out of it, which pissed him off as he went into the observation area. "We're wasting our time interrogating a machine! We're getting nothing out of it!" He shouted as he sat down in his chair, viewing the android in the interrogating room.

"'Could always try roughing it up a little. After all, it's not human." Gavin suggested, and just when Hank was going to let him go do it, because he was so pissed off, Connor spoke, because OF COURSE he did.

"Androids don't feel pain. You'd only damage it and it wouldn't make it talk. Deviants also have a tendency to self-destruct when in stressful situations."

"Okay, smartass!" Gavin shouted. "What should we do then?"

"I could try questioning it."

Gavin laughed, but Hank had to admit, he wanted to see how the android that miraculously appeared to him when he tested fate and everything else, would do as an interrogator. It would also give him a chance to see just how different this android was from everyone else. "What have we got to lose." Hank breathed out. "Go ahead, suspects all yours."

Connor left, and then walked into the interrogation room. Hank observed him looking at the files before sat down and seemed to look over the android across from him. "You're damaged." Connor said as he looked down at the android's arms. "Did your owner do that? Did he beat you?" He then slid the photos over to the deviant and opened it. "You recognize him? It's Carlos Ortiz. Stabbed, twenty-eight times." He moved the photo to reveal another. "THAT was written on the wall in his blood."

"Hank, come on, and android interrogating an android?" Gavin complained.

"Shut up, lets see what happens. If it doesn't talk, well, it wasn't doing that anyway."

"You're accused of MURDER. You KNOW you're not allowed to endanger human life under any circumstances. Do you have anything to say in your defense?" Connor questioned, and again the android said nothing. Hank was beginning to think that Connor wouldn't be able to do it, but then he heard Connor's voice become cold and strict. "If you won't talk, I'm going to have to probe your memory."

"NO!..."

"HOLY SHIT!" Gavin jumped, and Hank was thoroughly intrigued at that moment.

"...No, please, don't do that! What..." The android asked as he looked to the window-mirror. "...What are they gonna do to me? They're gonna destroy me, aren't they?" Hank had to admit, the android looked like it was scared of merely the thought, but androids don't feel emotion. Connor...is the first he's seen to show stubbornness at the very least.

"They're going to disassemble you to look for problems in your biocomponents. They have no choice, if they want to understand what happened."

"Why did you tell them you found me? Why couldn't you have just left me there?"

"I was programmed to hunt deviants like you. I just accomplished my mission."

"I don't wanna die."

"Then talk to me." Connor urged softly.

"I...I can't!"

"I understand how you felt. You were overcome by anger and frustration. No one can blame you for what happened." When the android didn't talk, Connor continued. "Listen, I'm not judging you. I'm on your side. All I want is the truth." The android's silence continued, and Hank could've sworn he saw a hint of frustration in Connor. "If you remain silent, there is NOTHING I can do to help you. They're gonna shut you down for good! You'll be dead! Do you hear me!? DEAD!" Connor let out a sigh, which was such a human reaction when a human was about to admit defeat, but then the android spoke.

"He tortured me every day..." And from then on, they continued, and extracted an entire confession out of him, including something about strange writing on the bathroom walls and an offering to someone called rA9.

When the confession was done, Chris and Gavin moved to the door while Connor was trying to leave. Hank followed them, and watched as Christ tried to get the android to move. "All right, let's go." Christ said as he uncuffed one wrist.

"Leave me alone!" The android spat in fear. "Don't touch me." He said as he jerked away in fear.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Gavin asked.

"You shouldn't touch it. It will self-destruct if it feels threatened."

"Stay out of this, got it!? No fuckin' androids gonna tell me what to do." Gavin argued.

"You don't understand! If it self-destructs, we won't get anything out of it!" Hank's eyes widened at how Connor argued with a human. He was mad and irritated, but he wasn't sure if the android knew he was actually displaying emotion. That was more than pretending. Androids didn't argue with humans unless they were deviants as far as he was aware.

"I told you to shut your fucking mouth!" Gavin shouted back at Connor before he turned to Christ, who continued to struggle with the android. "Christ, you gonna move this asshole or what!?"

"I'm trying!"

"I can't let you do that!" Connor shouted as he shoved Chris to the side and away from the android. "Leave it alone, NOW!" The protectiveness in Connor's voice, and the emotion he showed in his actions as he DARED one of the others to make another move with a facial expression alone caused a strange sort of warmth to bloom in Hank's chest. He was impressed, but it was something else.

He didn't have time to ponder on it though, as Gavin held a gun up to Connor, and all he could think was that he couldn't let him be shot. He didn't WANT him to be shot. "I warned you, motherfucker!" Gavin growled.

"That's enough!" Hank warned.

"Mind your own business, HANK!" Gavin said his name like it was an offensive slur, but he didn't care. He was still pointing a gun at Connor.

He pulled out his own gun and pointed it at Gavin. "I said...that's enough."

Gavin looked back at Hank and then at Connor before saying his version of the word, 'Fuck', which to Hank sounded more like a disturbed sneeze. "You're not gonna get away with it this time." He promised before he 'cursed' again as he left.

Hank watched as Connor immediately crouched down towards the still frightened android. "Everything is all right. It's over now. Nobody's going to hurt you." He reassured the android before he stood to look at Christ. "Please..." And that one word was filled with so much pleading and request that it made Hank's mind reel a bit. "...don't touch it. Let it follow you out of the room and it won't cause any trouble."

The android got up and left, but not before it whispered to Connor, "The truth is inside." What that meant, he had no fucking clue.

Once they were both gone, Hank walked up to Connor and looked at the table. "How did you know what to say to get him to talk? You're like a...walking good cop and bad cop."

"I can detect stress levels in humans and androids. I made sure to keep his stress level at an optimal level to ensure the best results of extracting a confession. Your stress level in particular spiked when Detective Reed pulled a gun out on me. Why is that?"

He thought about answering him, but truth was, he didn't even know. He just didn't want him to get shot. "Ah...fuck it. I'm too tired for this shit. I'm going home."

"Goodnight, Lieutenant."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He grumbled before leaving the room. He clocked out, told Jeffrey he was going to get some rest, and went home.

Once he returned home, he received a happy and warm welcome from his dog. "Hey, boy. Some interesting things happened today. Too tired to tell ya, but it's too interesting to call it quits tonight at least. Maybe tomorrow? Who knows. I'll leave your food like that a while longer. Goodnight, Sumo."

"BORK!" Sumo replied loudly with a joyful wag of his tail as if he understood. Sometimes Hank hoped he did, and other times, he really didn't want him to. For now, he'd go to sleep and contemplate what he just witnessed of the android Connor and how he felt warmer towards him as well as oddly protective.


	2. Learning

_When Hank found himself in the park, he already knew what the dream was going to be like, or at least he thought he did. Kids were still playing, and they were in the same park, but now it had food stands here and there. He saw Cole at one of them. A large pretzel stand. "Can I have mustard on mine!?" He asked the man he was standing next to. Hank looked at the man and noticed he was slim, but judging by his arms that were revealed by the dark blue T-shirt he was wearing, he was well built. He had black hair, skin that was somewhere between pale and lightly tanned as freckles were decorated across his arms and on the back of his neck, and he wore dark blue jeans and black sneakers._

_"Of course you can." Came Connor's voice out of the man, and Hank's eyes widened in shock._

_He stepped closer and saw Connor smiling down at Cole. He walked closer still, and noticed that Connor didn't have his LED. "Oh! There you are Hank!" Connor smiled._

_"Dad! Connor got me a giant pretzel! It's gonna have mustard on it, and it's going to be so delicious!"_

_"Sounds good." Hank replied despite wanting to ask what the fuck was going on. "Did he get one for me?"_

_"Of course." Connor nodded as he handed Hank his. "Hold on to it, I have to pay." Connor turned around, paid, and the three of them sat on the bench with Cole in the middle._

_"Hey, um...am I dreaming?"_

_"Yup!" Cole answered much to Hank's surprise. "But that's okay! Connor found you!"_

_"What are the two of you talking about?" Connor asked with a small smile as he ate his pretzel._

_"Nothing, Connor." Cole smiled. "I'm happy you found my Dad."_

_"I am, too." Connor grinned._

_"Um...Connor...how are you able to eat?"_

_Connor laughed lightly, and damn, what a sound. The laugh sounded like an excited giggle, but it was definitely a laugh! "Hank, we've been over this. I got an upgrade so I could eat and drink like you and your son."_

_"Hey, Dad, it was nice seeing you, but you need to wake up now." Cole said._

_"No! I want to stay longer!"_

_"You can't." Cole said as he shook his head. "You have to go to work! Connor found you! Yay! Wake up, Dad!"_

Hank woke up sweaty, panting, and confused, because it felt like he was YANKED out of his dream. "What the fuck was Connor doing there!? Why did he seem so...human!? Where was his LED!? Had Cole visited me from Heaven!? What the fuck was all of that!? Fuck! It's too fucking early for this!" He groaned before he got up to take another shower and get dressed for work.

On his drive over, he still couldn't get that dream out of his head. It was...nice. He knew it could never be for obvious reasons, but if Connor could be more human...he wondered...if he could be like that dream Connor. Not wanting to dwell on it further, he focused on the road in front of him.

When he walked in, he couldn't believe what he saw. Connor was standing there, looking at his desk with a calculative expression. "It's good to see you again, Lieutenant!" Connor said to him.

Hank groaned as he said, "Uh, Jesus!"

"Hank! In my office!" Jeffrey called for him.

 _'One minute I'm dreaming about the android, the next, he's here! What's after that, huh? I'm going to be partnered up with him?'_ The thought was laughable...until it wasn't. With Connor standing behind him in Jeffrey's office, that's exactly what happened. He and Jeffrey argued, but Jeffrey won in the end.

He stomped to his chair, and he knew he looked like a child throwing a tantrum, but he just KNEW somehow this was all his fault in some grand and unknowing way. He wanted someone to walk through that door at Jimmy's bar. He didn't fucking specify who or what! He heard a confrontation between Gavin and Connor, but ignored it. He was determined to ignore Connor, too, but then the android came up to his desk. "Listen..." Connor began, and he was already done with the conversation at the one word. "...I know you don't like me, but we're going to have to work together, we'll both have to make an effort."

_'Connor, you've know idea the effort I'm fucking making right now! You have the name my kid wanted to name an android if we had one!'_

"In any case, I'd like you to know that I'm very happy to be working with you. I'm sure we'll make a great team."

_'Shit, now he's actually trying to stay on my good side, the fucker.'_

"Is there a desk anywhere I could use?"

Hank gives up on the silent treatment and with a sigh, he points to the desk across from him. "No one's using that one."

As soon as Connor sits down, Connor asks him something that sends a weird nervous shiver up his spine. "You have a dog, right?"

 _'This better not be like the Connor from my dreams, dammit! The one that supposedly knew me so well!'_ He glared at Connor with a wary feeling in his chest. "How do you know that?"

"The dog hairs on your chair." He states as if it explains everything. "I like dogs. What's your dog's name?"

"What's it to ya!?" He asks while his mind helpfully supplies, _'Androids aren't supposed to like or dislike anything. They aren't supposed to have opinions. He's different. Why?'_ He quickly gives in, if only to take away that disappointed expression off of Connor's face. "Sumo, I call him Sumo." Merely saying it somehow helps him, and hey, at least the android's making an effort to understand the old fuck he's going to be partnered with, right?

"Do you listen to knights of the black death? I really like that music. It's full of...energy."

"You listen to Heavy Metal?" Hank asks, not really believing what he heard.

"Well, I don't really listen to music, as such, but I'd like to."

 _'Weird fucking android.'_ Hank thought as he shook his head. _'Again...androids don't have opinions. What the fuck is he?'_

"If you have any files on deviants, I'd like to take a look at them."

"The terminal's on your desk. Knock yourself out."

Out of the corner of his eye, Hank saw the skin retract on Connor's hand to reveal a pearly white hand made of metal and plastic underneath as he merely touched the computer. "Two hundred and forty three files. The first dates back nine months. It all started in Detroit...and quickly spread across the country. An AX400 is reported to have assaulted a man last night. That could be a good starting point of our investigation."

 _'Uh-huh...you go investigate. You're an entire walking talking precinct by yourself.'_ When Connor walked over he groaned and tried to turn away and look at his tablet, pretending to be busy, but put it down, because what's the point with a detective android looming over you.

"I understand you're facing personal issues, Lieutenant, but you need to move past them...and-"

"-Hey! Don't talk to me like you know me. I'm not your friend and I don't need your advice, okay?"

That should've been the end of it, but apparently CyberLife programmed this android to be determined and stubborn. "I've been assigned this mission, Lieutenant. I didn't come here to wait until you feel like working."

 _'Okay. That's fucking it!'_ Hank dropped the tablet once again, just so he could get up and pin Connor against the wall next to his desk. "Listen, asshole, if it was up to me, I'd throw the lot of you into a dumpster and set a match to it. So stop pissing me off...or things are gonna get nasty." Chris came up behind Hank telling him about the same android Connor was talking about, and he listened, but he was also trying to pinpoint what he saw in Connor's eyes for that one minor moment that he had him pinned against the wall. He left, saying he was on it, and he KNEW Connor would eventually follow him, so he waited in his car while Ben also made his way to his own car.

* * *

When they got there, Connor gave his opinion that they may not have gotten far as he looked to an abandoned house of some sort. Hank let him go in alone, and he was about to tell Ben to just go get him when he heard noises inside and someone shouting. He walked into the house and saw Connor on the ground. "Connor! What's going on!?"

"It's here! Call it in!" He shouted and the urgent tone in Connor's voice stunned him, but only for a moment before he told everyone else. He then made his way after Connor, because something in his chest told him to. Some kind of instinct that he was going to do something stupid, and he was right.

He had to pull Connor down from the fence, shouting, "Hey! Where you going?"

"I can't let them get away!" Hank knew the android was far stronger than him, but Connor put up minimal fight anyway. Why? He had no fucking clue, but for some reason he was grateful for it.

"They won't! They'll never make it to the other side."

"I can't take that chance!" Connor shouted, which sent a fresh bolt of panic into Hank's chest.

"Hey, you will get yourself killed! Do NOT go after them, Connor, that's an order!" The relief in Hank's chest felt like cool water on a hot summer day as it spread through his entire body. _'Wait...killed? That...would mean he's alive in the first place, and he's not. He's a machine, but...the way he reacts...Jesus...what the fuck ever. Too old for this running bullshit, and now I have a crazy android on top of it! Fuck!'_

* * *

The next time he saw Connor at the precinct, he just raised his hand to shut him up, and told him to get into the car. "I'm hungry, let's go."

"Okay, Lieutenant."

They drove to Chicken Feed, and Hank didn't even bother telling him to get out of the car, because what would be the point. He's only really started to listen. That, and a small part of him wanted the android to follow. The part that feels calmer just at the presence of the android, which held a fucking twisted sense irony if anyone were to ask him. He greeted his friends, and placed a bet, knowing it was illegal, but hey, he wasn't hurting anyone, so he wasn't going to bother him. He then notices Connor next to him. "Oh...what is your problem? Don't you ever do as you're told? Look, you don't have to follow me around like a poodle!" He let out a groan of frustration as he watched his food being cooked.

"I'm sorry for my behavior back at the police station. I didn't mean to be unpleasant."

 _'Well! That's fucking something!'_ Hank thought with pure amusement. "Oh...wow...you've even got a brown-nosing apology program. Guys at CyberLife thought of everything, huh?" He took his food, the cook warned him to not leave Connor there, and he couldn't help the smile as he replied, "Not a chance! Follows me everywhere!" When Connor started following him he scoffed and said, "See?"

"I don't want to alarm you, Lieutenant, but I think your friends are engaged in illegal activities."

"Well, everybody does what they have to, to get by. As long as they're not hurting anybody, I don't bother them." The look of thoughtfulness on Connor made Hank like him that much more. At this point, he dared to call Connor a friend of sorts. If only to himself and no one else. The android was actually trying to understand him and warn him and look after him. No one else was doing that, so it was...a nice change of pace. Something he wanted, challenged for, and secretly sought after, but never thought he'd actually get. _'An android for a friend. Oof, I'm either desperate or I have the only Deviant-Non-Deviant android ever.'_

"This...Pedro...he was proposing illegal gambling, am I right?"

"Yeah." Hank replied. _'What else did you think it was? Why does it sound like you're looking for confirmation, when you could've just observed and seen it?'_

"And you made a bet."

"Yeah." He nodded, because why not? It wasn't hurting anyone.

"Is there anything you'd like to know about me?"

"Hell, no! Well, yeah, why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?"

"CyberLife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans. Both my appearance and voice were specifically designed to facilitate my integration."

"Well, they fucked up." Hank told him as he thought, _'Why would they purposely make you attractive and distracting...WAIT...WHAT THE FUCK!?'_ Before he could ponder on his runaway train of thought that had betrayed him, Connor spoke again.

"This morning, when we were chasing those Deviants, why didn't you want me to cross the highway?"

"Because you could've been killed!" He shouted, because he couldn't believe it wasn't obvious to the super high tech detective android, but then he realized he said the word 'killed' to an android, and he didn't want the 'I'm not alive' bullshit he thought he'd get from Connor, so he quickly added, "...and I don't like filling out paperwork for damaged equipment."

"Maybe I should tell you what we know about deviants."

"You read my mind. Proceed."

"We believe that a mutation occurs in the software of some androids, which can lead to them emulating a human emotion."

"In English, please."

"They don't really FEEL emotions, they just get overwhelmed by irrational instructions, which can lead to unpredictable behavior."

 _'Connor, you literally just described emotions.'_ He wasn't going to say that though. The android would just argue with him, or become confused beyond belief. "Emotions always screw everything up. Maybe androids aren't as different from us as we thought."

"Can I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?" Hank gave a slight nod and a blink of his eyes as his answer. "Why do you hate androids so much?"

"I have my reasons. You ever dealt with deviants before?"

"A few months back. A Deviant was threatening to jump off the roof with a little girl. I managed to save her."

 _'Good for him and that little girl.'_ Hank thought. "So, I guess you've done all your homework, right? Know everything there is to know about me?"

"I know you graduated top of your class. You made a name for yourself in several cases and became the youngest Lieutenant in Detroit. I also know you've received several disciplinary warnings in recent years and...you spend a lot of time in bars."

"So, what's your conclusion?" He asked, unsure if he actually wanted the answer.

"I think working with an officer with...personal issues...is an added challenge, but adapting to human unpredictability is one of my features."

Connor winked at him, but all Hank could think about that statement was, _'It sounds like they designed you to become deviant if you're to adapt to human unpredictability. Why would they do that?'_

"I just got a report of a suspected deviant. It's a few blocks away. We should go have a look." He said as he shifted his gaze sideways, which WAS a human thing to do. "I'll let you finish your meal. I'll be in the car, if you need me."

Hank watched him go to the car, his mind once again reeling due to Connor's words. He then looked back at minor details of how the android has acted since meeting him. They way the interrogation went, he somehow heard Hank's tone of voice, and tried to emulate it, and it worked with the right words. He could've easily overpowered Hank at the fence and gone across the road, but he stayed despite the main order he had, which came straight from CyberLife. _'He's acting more and more human. Is he in the process of deviating or something?'_ Hank wasn't entirely sure, but if that was the case, something in his gut told him to not say anything about his suspicions to anyone, and his gut had never been wrong before.


	3. Realization and Desperation

When Hank and Connor arrived onto the floor the apartment was on, Hank noticed Connor wasn't following him. "Hey, Connor! You ran out of batteries, or what?"

"I'm sorry, I was making a report to CyberLife."

"Uh..." He nodded his head in acknowledgment, but then Connor still didn't move. "...well, do you plan on staying in the elevator?"

"No! I'm coming!"

Hank shook his head as he walked away. _'Uh-huh, and did they program that attitude into you? Jesus!'_ Once he was out of view of the elevator, Hank decided to ask, "What do we know about this guy?"

"Not much." Connor replied. "Just that a neighbor reported that he heard strange noises coming from this floor. Nobody's supposed to be living here, but the neighbor said he saw a man hiding an LED under his cap"

"Oh, Christ! If we have to investigate every time someone hears a strange noise, we're gonna need more cops!" Hank watched as Connor analyzed something and waited for the android to stand back up to ask the question that bothered him since he left the elevator. "Hey, were you really making a report back there at the elevator? Just by closing your eyes?"

"Correct."

Envy and a twinge of awe filled Hank's chest. "Shit! Wish I could do that." He watched as Connor knocked. When no one answered, and Connor turned to him for God knows why, he just shrugged at the android.

Connor knocked again, louder, and raised his voice, "Anybody home!? Open up! Detroit Police!"

A loud racket was heard inside, immediately gaining Hank's attention, and the first thing that came to mind was not to bust the door open, to have Connor go before him, since he's a machine, it was to protect him. "Stay behind me!"

"Got it!" Connor said as if he was grateful and attentive at the same time.

When Hank kicked the old door down, there was no one there. He opened a few doors, no one there either. Then, he opened the last door and birds started flying everywhere. "What the FUCK is THIS!?" They began to look around, Connor found out it was a deviant that was living with all the fucking birds, and that he was feeding the little creepy fuckers. Hank noticed Connor look up, and then he watched as the deviant knocked him down. "What are you waiting for!? Chase it!" He shouted, and watched as Connor took off. He was quick to follow once he was able to move past the fucking pigeons. 'Fuck he's fast!' He thought as he tried to follow them, but he took far safer routes than Connor, because the fucking dare devil decided to jump onto a moving train!

Eventually he caught up with the Deviant. "No!" The android shouted at him.

"Stop right there!" Hank demanded. Then, just as he saw Connor out of the corner of his eye, the android pushed him over, causing him to cry out in surprise. _'Fuck! No! Not like this! Someone HELP!'_ He was too scared to fall to actually shout, but then he saw Connor, who, without hesitation, helped him up and abandoned his mission to capture the suspected deviant. "Shit. OH SHIT! We had it!" As he got up off his knees he cursed one more time, "Fuck!"

"It's my fault." Connor began, and Hank couldn't believe his ears. Connor was blaming himself!? "I should've been faster."

 _'Oh, fuck no!'_ Hank thought. "You'd have caught it if it weren't for me. That's alright. We know what it looks like. We'll find it..." He said as he continued to try and get air into his lungs. _'I owe him my life.'_ He thought before he turned around. "Hey, Connor..." When Connor turned around, looking ready for a new order, Hank knew a simple thank you wasn't going to cut it. Not after that. "...nothing." He said as he waved at him before walking away.

When they both made it back to the car, Connor looked at Hank with a puzzled expression, and Hank noticed. "Lieutenant, are you...okay?"

Hank's eyes widened as he turned to face Connor. _'He's asking about my well-being?'_ Something warm flooded his chest, and he was scared to call it what he remembered it being once upon a time. "I am now. Thanks to you, Connor."

"I still think I could've been faster. I would've been able to stop him from pushing you off the roof."

"To be honest...I'm glad you weren't fast enough."

"Why?"

Hank knew he wouldn't understand. Not at the moment, but Connor saving him...rather than completing his mission, he knew without a doubt at that moment that Connor was becoming a deviant, and he had to keep his mouth shut. "I have my reasons. Let's just get back to the precinct, okay? Or do you want me to drop you off somewhere?"

"We can go to the precinct, I'll file a report, and then I'll take a taxi back to CyberLife."

"Is that the only place you have to go?"

"It is. Does this concern you?"

 _'Hell yeah, it concerns me, and I'm scared to know why!'_ Hank shook his head instead. "Just curious."

* * *

After Hank dropped Connor off at the precinct, Fowler gave them his gruff 'good try, better luck next time', which to anyone else, would sound like a verbal ass beating, but Hank knew better. Fowler sent him home until he was needed, and he wasn't exactly going to complain after he almost fell off of a building.

Once he got home, he ordered pizza, waited, paid, and began eating. "House is so fucking quiet, Sumo." Hank said once he sat down with his pizza at his dining table. Sumo let out a loud 'Woof!', and Hank couldn't help but huff out a laugh at that. "Thanks, Sumo. Good boy." As he ate his pizza, he found himself going back to when Connor walked into Jimmy's bar just as he was counting down. Connor, an android, has learned to give off emotions, and Hank KNEW Connor was slowly becoming a deviant. If Connor was right that he adjusted to humans, then that meant that Connor was adjusting to him, and that meant Hank was making him Deviant. Those thought led him to another. _'Would he be like the Connor I dreamed of? Would he be carefree and so open with me?'_ As soon as the thought occurred to him, his eyes widened. "Oh, no, no, no..." He frantically said as he shook his head, but his thoughts wouldn't stop. His mind reminded him of the stirrings in his chest, the warmth he felt, and how calm he felt around Connor. How in such a short time, he felt more comfortable around him than he did anyone else.

Once his heart pounded hard against the revelation, Hank felt something knot up in his stomach. He rushed to the bathroom and coughed until his throat was sore. Once his stomach felt better, he looked into the toilet to see what he coughed up, and panic seized his heart like a thief would a jewel in the night. Not that anyone knew it, but Hank knew what flowers meant. He worked in a plant nursery for a long while after high school, and then while he was at the police academy, so he learned about petals, leaves, and other identifiers. Not only that, but his ex-wife had taught him about a certain disease that included flowers. What he coughed up were Purple Lilacs. They meant the beginning of love or first love. He knew he had loved his wife before she left, so it had to be the beginning of love. For Connor. "He could never...he's an android!" Hank groaned. "I'm in love with an android! How the fuuuuuuuck!" He coughed more into the toilet. Hopefully that was the last of it for now. His ex told him the older you are the slower it attacks, so at least he had that going for him, but to be killed by loving someone? Fucking ironic, considering he lost everyone he ever loved.

"Fuck this!" Hank shouted into the toilet before he got up, grabbed Cole's picture, a bottle of black lamb, and his revolver. "I am not dying of unrequited love! I'll drink and play. If I'm fucking meant to suffer through this...I'll live. There ya go! Double Russian Roulette of a sort! I'll give it three chances!"

He drank straight from the bottle as he looked at Cole's picture. "I'll see ya soon, kiddo." He sniffed as he drank some more before holding the gun to his head. A click, and nothing happened. "Damn." He drank some more, click, nothing. More alcohol, click...and then he felt himself falling out of the chair with the gun in one hand and the bottle in the other.

_When he opened his eyes, it was dark, snowing, and he was in the park. He saw Cole sitting on a bench, so he walked over to him, and sat down next to his kid. "Why, Dad?"_

_"Why what, kid?" Hank asked in confusion._

_"Why would you play that game?"_

_"What um..." A chill hit more than his skin, because now, his stomach felt like ice. "...what game?"_

_"The one with the gun." Cole said as he looked down at his shoes as they kicked back and forth beneath him and the bench._

_"Cole, you don't understand..."_

_"You're right." He said with a sniffle. "I don't understand. I don't think I would ever want to if I was alive."_

_"You're...not a dream are you?"_

_"That depends on what you think and feel, I guess. You have that flower sickness that Mama talked about?"_

_"Yeah, kid. I do."_

_"For Connor?"_

_"Yeah." Hank sighed out._

_"That's good."_

_"What? How is that good!?" He asked and then he heard a voice echo throughout the space he was in._

**_"Lieutenant Anderson!"_ ** _It was Connor's voice followed by the sound of something shattering, fumbling, falling. **"Easy...Sumo! I'm your friend, see? I know your name. I'm here to save your owner."**_

_The ice feeling in his stomach warmed. "What...What's happening?"_

_"There's a small thing that Mama figured out about the flower sickness. If you are cared for by the one you love, and you feel their love for you is still...un...unrequited...yeah that's the word...but if you're cared for by them...it sort of...calms it. Connor is worried about you."_

_"He's an android, he can't feel worry."_

_"Are you sure about that, Dad?"_

_**"Lieutenant?"**_ _Hank felt taps on his cheek as if he were awake. **"Wake up, Lieutenant."** The park blurred out while his kitchen ceiling blurred in, then he was back in the park again. He quickly felt a harder smack, snatching him completely out of the dream world. **"It's me, Connor!"**_ His brain is fuzzy, he sees the android, but it still feels like the haze of a dream. Perhaps his dreams actually shifted. They've done it before.

"I'm going to sober you up for your own safety." He heard Connor saying as he complained,

"Whoa, hey! Leave me alone, you fucking android!"

"I have to warn you, this may be unpleasant."

"Get the fuck out of my house!"

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but I need you."

'Not like I need you.' Hank thought with a groan.

"Thank you in advance for your cooperation."

"Hey! Get the FUCK outta here!" He shouted as he felt himself being lifted up from the floor, by Connor's astonishing strength. He let out a growl before he looked to Sumo's fuzzy form. "Sumo! Attack!"

"BORK!"

"Good dog...ATTACK!" When Connor put him against the wall, he felt his stomach church again, but this time it was due to alcohol combined with the flowers. He could tell. "Fuck! I think I'm gonna be sick!" He heard the door click open, and then he felt Connor grab him to carry him inside the bathroom. "Ah, leave me alone, you asshole! I'm not goin' anywhere!" He tried to hold onto the wall, but Connor was too strong and he was too drunk. Connor continued to carry him inward until he reached the tub. "What the hell are you doing?" It was then he realized where he was. "Oh, I don't want a bath, thank you."

"Sorry, Lieutenant. It's for your own good." Connor said as he placed a hand over Hank's heart, which caused another burst of warmth in his chest before he fell backwards into the tub. Before he knew it ice cold water was pouring down on him.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OOOOOOFF!" Once it was turned off, he looked up at Connor and realized that it wasn't all some crazy dream. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"A homicide was reported forty-three minutes ago. I couldn't find you at Jimmy's bar, so I came to see if you were at home."

 _'Really!?'_ Hank thought as he lifted himself out of the tub and onto the edge of it. "Jesus, I must be the only cop in the world that gets assaulted in his own house by his own fucking android!" He looked up and shook his head at Connor, "Can't you just leave me alone?" He asked while he thought, _'You're already killing me, because of the stupid Hanahaki Disease!'_

"Unfortunately, I cannot. I have been programmed to investigate this case, and I can't do it without you."

"I don't give a shit about your Goddamn case!" He shouted, because honestly, he had more pressing matters to worry about in his opinion. Like how he fell in love with an android, and is gonna die, because his insides became prettier.

"Lieutenant, you're not yourself. You should-"

"-BEAT IT, YOU HEAR ME!? GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!" He tried to stand up to face Connor, but his balance wouldn't let him. His head was still fuzzy, and he felt more flowers grow in his stomach from his shouting at Connor. Just as he was about to fall, Connor caught him, and he felt the flowers trim themselves. It left him a bit breathless and it hurt, but so many years on the job, he's learned to mask pain until the last possible moment.

"I understand. It probably wasn't interesting anyway..." The teasing manner amused Hank, even in his soaked and pissed off state, but it also caused a flower to bloom in his right lungs, and he hated how he could feel it. He had to place a hand over it, just in an effort to calm it down. "...A man murdered in a sex club downtown? Guess they'll have to solve the case without us!"

"You know, probably wouldn't do me any harm to get some air." He replied, because dammit! Connor was teasing him! On purpose! "There's some clothes in that bedroom there."

"I'll go get them." Connor told him as if it was a mission. The pain ebbed away, but with it, came the need to vomit, because his body, surprise surprise, thought it to be an intrusion like too much alcohol! He couldn't move to the toilet fast enough. He then heard Connor shout at him, "What do you want to where!?"

"Whatever." He replied before bracing himself for the violent impact he'd have on the toilet.

He started coughing at first, and then Connor walked in with his clothes. "Are you alright, Lieutenant?"

"Yeah...yeah...wonderful...just a..." What was he gonna say? 'Just a...Hanahaki Disease? Just a...case of unrequited love?' He couldn't say either of those things so he simply settled for, "...Give me five minutes, okay?"

"Sure." He heard Connor begin to walk away just as he started to throw up everything he ever ate or drank since that morning. He could tell it wasn't a normal color. It wasn't a usual, 'I had donuts for breakfast, Chicken Feed for lunch, and Pizza for dinner' color. It was green and brown, and he could see petals and leaves mixed in. He tried to cover it up away from Connor, but he wasn't sure if he succeeded.

His body hurt, his head hurt, his heart hurt, and the worst part was, he couldn't be mad at anyone but himself. _'Some second fucking chance I asked for!'_ He thought before violently throwing up again. It took him a while to finish, and he wasn't about to go to a crime scene with his breath smelling like flowers and puke. Before he flushed the toilet, he could just barely make out the flowers he saw in the murky disgusting water. Hyacinth for playfulness and Foxglove for protectiveness. So, the Hyacinth for Connor's teasing manner, and Foxglove for him coming to rescue him and take care of him, even if it was to get him to the case. He shook his head with a groan before wiping his face and brushing his teeth.

Once that was done, he got dress, and left the bathroom. As the dining table came into view, he saw Connor holding the picture of Cole, so he hid behind the wall, out of Connor's sight. The android looked...sad. Almost mournful, but it was quickly schooled when he put he photo down. With the strange moment gone, Hank stepped out of the corner and decided not to ask about the expression Connor made. When Connor saw him, Hank could've sworn there was the slightest smile on his face for even a fraction of a second. As much as he wanted to ask, he was sure the android would deny it, so he just looked at his dog for a brief moment and said, "Be a good dog, Sumo. I won't be long."

"Hank, perhaps it's better if I drive." Connor suggested when they made it to the car.

"Yeah...okay." He sighed out before he got into the car. Before Connor started the car, he quickly moved to turn the volume all the way down so it wouldn't give him more of a headache.

When Connor drove out of the driveway, he didn't expect for him to talk at all, let alone sound concerned as he asked, "Are you sure you're alright, Lieutenant?"

"Well, I just threw up everything I had ever eaten today, so no, not really, Connor, but uh...thanks...I guess."

"What for?"

"For rescuing me, I guess. I mean, that's what you told Sumo when you crashed through my window."

Connor's eyes widened a bit while his hands gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. Hank thought it a strange reaction for Connor to have, but he wasn't going to say anything. "How...do you know that? You were passed out."

"I was dreaming...could hear you. So, yeah, enough of that. Just...thanks."

"You're welcome, Hank."

The use of his first name coming from the android stunned him to speechlessness as he whipped his head to look at Connor, who just continued to drive on as if he hadn't said anything. They drove in silence after that, until Connor parked the car. "Aw...Feels like somebody's playing with a drill inside my skull." He looked at the outside of the building and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "You sure this is the place?"

"It's the address in the report." Connor said, almost as if he didn't quite want to be there either.

"Right...okay...let's get going." He said as he left the car with a grunt and a slight groan. When he walked up to the open door, he noticed a sign. "Sexiest androids in town. Now I know why you insisted on coming here." They walked in and Hank heard the guy asking if his license was going to be taken away. _'Unbe-fucking-lievable. The prick has a license for all this shit!'_

"Hey, Hank!"

"Hey, Ben. How's it going?"

"It's that room there. Oh, uh, by the way, Gavin's in there too."

"Oh, great! A dead body and an asshole. Just what I needed."

When they walked in, Gavin 'greeted' them, if one could call it that. Hank wouldn't, but no one asked him. "Lieutenant Anderson and his plastic pet. What the fuck are you two doing here?"

"We've been assigned all cases involving androids."

"Oh, yeah? Well, you're wasting your time. Just some pervert who, uh, got more action than he could handle!" He laughed, but Hank wasn't fucking amused, and it was not his night.

"We'll have a look anyway, if you don't mind."

Gavin scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go. It's uh...starting to smell of booze in here." He shoved Connor's shoulder with his own as he walked out.

"Night, Lieutenant." Christ said kindly as he left as well.

After that, they investigated the scene, and they realized it wasn't a heart attack. Hank offered up that it could've been rough play, but once Connor activated the Traci, that option was thrown out the window. There was another android in there, and that one choked him to death.

Then, Connor had the insane idea of making Hank pay for sex androids in order to do some weird interfacing shit with them to see through their eyes. When they eventually found the last place the Traci was heading, it didn't take long for two Traci androids to start fighting them. Eventually it led to outside, and just when Connor had a clear shot, he lowered his gun, and one of them kicked Connor in the chin, but he got up, and the blue haired one started to talk. "When that man...broke the other Traci...I knew I was next. I was so scared. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn't. And so I put my hands around his throat, and I SQUEEZED...until he stopped moving. I didn't MEAN to kill him. I just wanted to stay alive. Get back to the one I love. I wanted her to hold me in her arms again. Make me forget about the humans, their smell of sweat, and their dirty words."

"Come on..." The other Traci said with an identical voice. "...let's go." Together they fled, and Hank was left to stare at Connor in contemplation.

 _'Even drunk I could've made that shot, but YOU didn't, Connor. Why?'_ He knew better than to ask that at the moment, though, so he settled for, "It's probably better this way." He couldn't argue with Connor's lack of action. In fact, it only made him love the android more, and if those two could feel love, perhaps Connor could to. Hank hoped that was the case, and that he would be able to find out before he died from the flowers. He felt something squeeze his lungs before he coughed into his hand. When he opened it, there was a blue cornflower in his hand. It meant a number of things, but the ones off the top of his head that fit the most at the moment were Hope, Devotion, and Anticipation. He quickly shoved his hand into his pocket before Connor could see, and they made their way to the car. He was grateful that Connor didn't say anything at all in the car, but he could also tell that Connor was thinking about what just happened, because his LED hadn't stopped swirling yellow since they left.


	4. Questions

Not wanting to do much else, Hank drove them to a liquor store that was open, he bought some beer, and they got back into the car. He then drove them to the familiar park from when Cole was alive, and from his dreams. "Just...for once...stay in the car, okay? At least until I've down two beers."

"Okay, Lieutenant." Connor agreed, and thank fuck for that.

"Listen to the music while I'm sitting on the bench, and uh...do you have...I dunno...super hearing or some shit?"

"No. Although, my hearing is more advanced than the average humans, I can alter the sensitivity and range. I prefer it to be set at an average hearing frequency."

"Good, means I can talk to myself for a bit." Hank said as he got out of the car to go sit on the top of a bench, six pack on the seat of the bench, and a freshly opened beer. After he took a large gulp, he let out a heavy breath before he looked up at the sky. "What am I supposed to do?" He whispered. "Androids...fucking androids..." He shook his head as he looked down at his hands. One held the beer bottle, and the other was rested over that hand. "...I lost my son, because of an android, but the android would've never been needed if that human hadn't been high. Now, I have Hanahaki Disease, because I went and fell in love with one. What the fuck...?" He groaned before he decided to down his entire beer. He opened another one right after that one, and continued drinking. "Deviants we met so far are scared and angry freaks. Is Connor going to become like that once he snaps the rest of the way?" He downed another beer, and then heard his car door open as he grabbed another.

When Connor walked up to the side of the bench, he decided he might as well talk. "I used to come here a lot before..."

"Before what?"

"Hmm?"

"You said, 'I used to come here a lot before.' Before what?"

"Before...nothing."

"Can I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?"

"Do all androids ask personal questions, or is it just you?" It was starting to get on his nerves, but he knew it was just Connor being curious and polite.

"Why are you so determined to kill yourself?"

 _'Shit, he must've seen the gun, then. Of course the android put two and two together.'_ He knew he couldn't avoid answering it, he was just relieved he didn't ask him about the photo on the table. Especially considering where they were at. "Some things I just can't forget. Whatever I do, they're always there...eating away at me." He thought vaguely of the Hanahaki Disease, but pushed it away as quickly as he could before he continued, "I don't have the guts to pull the trigger...So, I kill myself a little every day. That's probably difficult for you to understand, huh, Connor? Nothing very rational about it."

Apparently Connor decided to drop the personal questions, because he moved in front of him and began in a tone of frustration, "We're not making any progress on this investigation. The deviants have nothing in common." He crossed his arms as his tone took on a contemplative sound that accompanied the agitation in a very human way. "They're all different models, produced at different times, in different places..."

"Well, there must be SOME link." Hank groused out gently.

"What they have in common is this OBSESSION with rA9. It's almost like some kind of myth. Something they invented that wasn't part of their original program."

"Androids believing in God. Fuck! What's this world coming to?" He asked before he took another drink.

"You seem preoccupied, Lieutenant."

 _'Hit the nail on the fucking head, Connor!'_ Hank thought as the beer slid down his throat.

"Is it something to do with what happened back at the Eden Club?"

 _'Well, at least I have an option to mention something other than what's on my mind.'_ Hank slightly nodded his head. "Those two girls...They just wanted to be together. They really seemed...in love." He said as he looked into Connor's honey brown eyes, that started to look more and more human, and less like a machine devoid of emotion. He hoped that he could perhaps get a 'sort of' answer out of Connor, somehow. To see if he could feel.

"You seem troubled, Lieutenant..."

_'I am.'_

"...I didn't think machines could have such an effect on you."

 _'One does in particular, but what about you, Connor?'_ He allowed the last four words to leave his mouth. "What about you, Connor? You look human, you sound human, but what are you really?"

"I'm whatever you want me to be, Lieutenant."

 _'What!?'_ He thought helplessly as his heart began pounding hard against his chest.

"Your partner..."

_'What kind of partner?'_

"...your buddy to drink with..."

_'...but you can't drink...'_

"...or just a machine. Designed to accomplish a task."

"You could've shot those two girls, but you didn't. Why didn't you SHOOT, Connor!?" He asked as he pushed Connor. Not enough to knock him down, but enough to cause him to stagger back a little. "Hm? Some scruples suddenly enter into your program?"

"No! I just DECIDED not to shoot."

 _'Decisions are human, Connor. Androids aren't supposed to make decisions!'_ Hank wanted some definitive answers and the one he remembers most is the fact that deviants felt fear. So, he took his gun out and pointed it at Connor's head. "But are you afraid to die, Connor?"

"I would certainly find it regrettable to be...interrupted...before I can finish this investigation."

'That's a yes if I ever heard one.' He thought. "What'll happen if I pull this trigger? Hm? Nothing? Oblivion? Android Heaven?"

"I doubt there's a heaven for androids." Connor replied, sounding almost sad at his own words.

"Having existential doubts, Connor? Sure you're not going deviant, too?" It was blunt, but even if Connor said no, or some for of the answer, he would be able to read his facial expression, tone, and more importantly, the android's eyes, which had shown real fear when Hank pointed the gun at him.

"I self-test regularly. I know what I am, and what I am not." Connor's hand began to shake while a flower slowly bloomed in his chest.

'He's being defensive. The android version of a desperate cry of, 'No I'm not'. Can't say I blame him.' The last thought instantly had Hank lower his weapon with a ragged sigh.

"Where are you going?" Connor asked as Hank walked away.

"To get drunker! I need to think." About what, not even Hank was entirely sure, but he knew it had to do with the flowers, Connor, and deviancy...or lack thereof.

After a few moments of stunned silence from Connor, Hank finally heard the android say, "I'll drive you, Lieutenant. It will be safer that way."

"Not gonna tell me to stop drinking?" He asked, partially a joke, partially serious.

"Would you listen if I did?" Connor challenged, which made Hank give a small smile and a huff of laughter.

"Probably not at the moment."

Connor said nothing after that. Instead, he just got into the car, waited for Hank, and they left the park. When they made it back to Hank's house, Connor turned the car off, and opened the door for Hank. "We're home, Hank."

' _Did he just...call my house...home? Did he just call me Hank?'_ He looked up at him as he got out of the car slowly with a furrowed brow. "That's the second time since we met that you dropped the formality."

Connor's eyes widened and his brow raised for a whole second before his features returned to neutral. "I apologize. It won't happen again."

"It's okay if you want to call me that. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Just saying, it's a small change. I don't mind it."

"Then...I'll call you Hank when not talking about the investigation."

"I'd actually appreciate that." Hank said as he entered his house.

"Um...I also apologize about the window. CyberLife will pay for the damages."

"You bet your ass, they will. Their advanced android bust through it to save my life...they better fix the window." After Connor closed the door behind them, Hank watched as Sumo completely avoided him and went straight to Connor, who crouched down and started petting the excitable fluffy giant.

"You're a good boy, aren't you, Sumo?" Connor's voice was soft and amused as he scratched at Sumo's fur. The entire scene created a few more blooms in his lungs and stomach. It was fucking painful, but the scene in front of him was worth it. Especially when Sumo started licking Connor all over, which apparently caused Connor to laugh. The sound might as well as erupted a small bouquet in Hank's chest with how wonderful he found the sound.

"Um...Connor? Did you just laugh?"

"I..." Connor stopped before clearing his throat and getting off the floor. "...I suppose I did. I apologize. I don't know what's come over me. I found it...amusing, and...the sound just happened. Perhaps it activated an emulation of amusement."

'Emulation my ass.' Hank thought with an eye roll. "Alright, do you sleep, or-"

"-I sleep, yes."

"Wait...really?" Hank asked with a risen brow. "I thought androids only went into stasis or whatever."

"Well, the others do, but with me, they figured out how to turn my stasis into sleep. I can either run a simulation as I sleep, or I can report to CyberLife. Usually, I have to go back to CyberLife to sleep, but I can. It's another part of my being a prototype. They wanted to test out the sleep function. It also accelerates the self-repair in my biocomponents or if I received any surface wounds. I don't do it often, however. I was activated in August, and have only slept about four times. I have preformed stasis every two to three days to recuperate my systems."

"Um...okay. Can I ask you a personal question?" At his words, Hank KNEW this time that he saw a small upturn of the left side of Connor's mouth.

"I've asked you a multitude of personal questions. I don't see why not, but as I am assigned to you as your partner, anything you ask, I have to answer."

"Uh-huh...right...well, what do you sleep in?" He inwardly cringed as the question left his mouth.

"Socks, boxers, pants, and three times I slept in my shirt."

"What was the one time you slept without your shirt?" He asked, because his buzzed brain decided he didn't need a filter

"It's how I would prefer to sleep if I were to do such a thing. It cools my systems, but I could achieve the same result if I just unbutton my white shirt three buttons down."

All of that information went straight to Hank's groin, and he felt the now familiar feeling of blooms in his stomach, lungs, and chest. "R-Right, well...do you need a blanket, or..."

"No, I don't require a blanket. I'll be taking the time to cool down my systems from the combat I endured with the two Traci models. A blanket would have the opposite effect of what I need."

"Okay, then. Well, couch is all yours. Make yourself at home."

"Thank you, Hank." Connor started taking his tie off, and Hank couldn't look away.

"Hank?" Connor asked as the rest of his tie came off. "Might I try something that I've seen humans do?"

"That...that REALLY depends what you fucking mean, Connor." He replied as he felt heat flush to his cheeks. If anyone asked, mainly Connor, he would just blame it on the beer.

"A kiss. It's something that...has no logic behind it. If humans were so determined to touch, they could just use their hands and arms, but they use lips, tongue, and saliva, instead."

"Sounds like a deviant thing to be wondering, Connor."

"I'm not a deviant, Hank. I've told you this. On our drive over here, I saw a few couples out and they were kissing. If deviants claim to have feelings as much as humans do, perhaps learning what a kiss is will help my investigations."

"Connor..." He trailed off before he realized that Connor had added an 'S' to the end of investigation, which now meant he had more than one. 'What's the other one?' He wondered.

"If you don't want to, I completely understand."

"Shoot. Why not? My weeks been weird as fuck so far, why not make it a little stranger." He put down his beer, and stepped towards Connor. _'Plus...this might be my only chance to do this.'_ He cleared his throat before he looked at Connor up and down. As he was looking he watched as Connor slowly removed his jacket in a very methodical manner, while continuously looking at Hank. "I lead in this, okay? You want me to stop, tap me three times on the shoulder, understand?"

"I understand."

Hank used an arm to gently bring Connor forward. He thought he heard something like a gasp come from the android, but that couldn't be possible. If androids didn't feel pain, they didn't feel pleasure. Deviant or not. He then brought a caring hand up to Connor's cheek, and was dumbfounded when Connor closed his eyes and leaned into it. That was the last straw. Hank leaned forward and pressed his lips to Connor's. A sound left both of them, and Hank felt Connor's hands hesitantly take hold of his shirt at his chest. 'He moaned!' Hank thought before he pulled Connor closer. He tried not to let out the breath of relief the kiss gave him as all of the flowers had begun to recede once more. Just as he was about to lean back, Connor dipped his tongue into his mouth. 'Oh, FUCK!' Hank inwardly shouted as he brought his hand to the back of Connor's hair and lightly gripped it.

Connor eventually tapped Hank three times, and Hank stepped back like a drunken man that just had fire shoved in front of his face, but to be honest, that's what the kiss had felt like. "C-Connor, does that um...answer your uh...question, or whatever?"

"Yes. It...answers quite a few. I won't bore you with the scientific details." Then, almost as if he hadn't stuttered at the beginning of the sentence, Connor righted himself and looked to the couch. "You should get some rest, Hank. Who knows what may happen tomorrow? Perhaps tomorrow will be the day we find what causes deviancy."

"R-Right." He nodded as he held a hand to his lungs. "Goodnight, Connor."

"Goodnight, Hank. Thank you for that." Hank briefly saw Connor's LED swirl red, then yellow, then back to a calming blue. As much as he wanted to ask about it, he didn't trust his buzzed, possibly drunken mouth to say anything acceptable of a normal conversation after that kiss. It was one of the best kisses he ever had. All he could do now was nod, and go to bed. Wondering what he'd dream of this time as he flopped down onto his bed and closed his eyes, quickly slipping into a deep sleep.

_When he opened his eyes, he was in a large golden ballroom. Pillars made of an ancient and elegant marble, the floor was a mixture of reds, golds, blues, and silvers. He then looked out the windows, and there were gorgeous balconies that were lit up by the moon and starlight. A door closed behind him, causing him to turn around, and on the door, there was a mirror. His eyes widened at what he saw. His facial hair was well trimmed, he looked a bit older, but good for his age, he seemed to have lost weight, and his long white hair was tied back into a neat and gentlemanly pony-tail. He wore a white dress shirt, black coat, black pants, and black shoes, but the bow-tie was probably his favorite. The weirdest part was, he couldn't tell why. It was just a deep blue. "You look very handsome, Hank." He heard behind him._

_When he turned around to face the voice and the rest of the empty ballroom, he noticed Connor. His LED was gone, his hair was less neat, but still combed enough to be presentable and respectable. In Hank's opinion, there was more floof to it. As if it had grown out through the years. His outfit was very similar, except for the bow-tie. Connor's bow-tie was a deep red. Almost blood red. "Um...Connor?"_

_"Well, at least you remember my name." Connor chuckled out as he stepped forward; each footstep echoing throughout the large ballroom. "Do you know what's happening, Hank?'_

_"I'm...dreaming."_

_"Correct."_

_"Is the real Connor aware of this?"_

_Connor shoved his hands in his pocket as a sigh left his nose. "What you mean by the REAL Connor? Is a dream not a certain kind of real? A reality that is altered, perverted, twisted, or pleasantly magicked into something else, making it FEEL REAL to you, while your subconscious continues on without your logical consciousness?"_

_"I mean the Connor I see when I'm awake! The REAL Connor!"_

_"I cannot speak for Connor. I look like him, sound like him, but what am I really, Lieutenant?"_

_Hank flinched as his words were shot back at him. It didn't feel right, and he regrets pointing a gun at Connor. "Okay, then would you know what he knows?"_

_"I know what you think, feel, and know. I know what you won't allow yourself, I know your fears, I know your hopes, your wishes, and your dreams. I know what you desire, lust for, and strive towards. I know you, Lieutenant. Dreams...to some humans...are something to be nit-picked at. To determine the meaning from every single detail. Do you know this place?"_

_Hank looked around, getting a closer look at the room. "This...this is...WAS...a modern castle they built in 2027, in Detroit. It looked and felt like a real castle. You could use it to host events, birthday parties, or..."_

_"...Or...?" Connor questioned carefully._

_"...or weddings...I...My ex and I...we wasted no time. As soon as they opened the doors to the castle, we booked it for our wedding day. A bad storm blew in during the summer of 2028. It was the worst storm Detroit had ever seen. Three tornadoes at once, hail, downpour...and it destroyed the area around the castle and the castle itself. They fixed the area as fast as they could, but they didn't put the castle back. Everyone thought it was so strange, though."_

_"Thought what was strange?"_

_"The only section of the castle, and...it wasn't massive like a monarchs castle, it was just...a nice place to gather for events, but...it had a church attached to it. The windows broke, the seats shifted all around the inside, but it wasn't destroyed. It was one of the only things left standing, so...no one touched it. It's abandoned now. This...was the ballroom I danced with my ex in when we got married. It was short lived though. Why are you showing me this?"_

_"I'm not showing you anything, Lieutenant. I'm a figment of your subconscious. Your imagination, rather. Can you tell me what's different about this place from the last place?"_

_"The...stars. The moonlight. It wasn't that bright outside of it. Never was. It was kind of out of the way, but the city lights...the light pollution...you wouldn't be able to see that many stars."_

_"Hmm...Why are we dressed like this?" Connor asked._

_"I...I don't know. You look good, though. I seem...a bit older, and...better off."_

_"Maybe this is a dream of...what you want in your future."_

_"What, be stuck in a room with you, wearing these weird suits, and in a ballroom?"_

_"Well, we ARE in a ballroom." Connor nodded his head as he looked around the room as well. He then took his hands out of his pocket so that he could easily walk closer to Hank. He held out a hand and smiled, "May I have this dance, Hank?"_

_Hank looked at the hand that was outstretched. It was a left hand, nothing particularly strange about that, except that usually when someone asked for a dance by giving their hand out, it was a right hand. At least, in his experience it was. He's seen that Connor uses his left hand for most things, so perhaps it was just because he was left handed, but something told him it was more important than that. Something deeper. Something that he WANTED to be deeper. Just as he was about to take his hand, he thought he heard Connor say his name. "What?" He asked him._

_"I asked if I may have this dance."_

_"No...did you say my name?"_

"Hank? Now is an advisable time to get up, Hank." _Connor's voice echoed gently, yet strictly through the whole area, but the Connor in front of him chuckled in defeat as he lowered his hand._

_"Perhaps..." The Connor in front of him began almost solemnly, "...someday. It's time to wake up, Hank."_


	5. Dancing

Hank opened his eyes and saw Connor hovering over him. If it was anyone else, he may have been terrified, which was the strange fact. Yeah, he realized his feelings for the android and now his insides were trying to kill him in a pretty way, but the android could probably snap in half, yet he's not frightened of him in the slightest. "Connor..." He groaned as he flung an arm over his eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's Nine in the morning, and Fowler messaged you. He said that since it's been on case after the other, he wants you to take the day off until another deviancy case appears. He said that the last thing he needs is a Lieutenant dead on his feet from lack of sleep."

"Yeah...that sounds like Jeffrey." He breathed out as he allowed his arm to fall to the side. "Hey, weird question..." Hank began as the vision of the dream entered his mind. "...what all can you do?"

"I can do everything that any other android can do. I have a few of my own specialized programs, such as the forensic analysis, but I can do everything."

"Can you dance?"

"Though I've never been in the situation where it calls for it, yes. I can dance. Why do you ask?"

"Just...a dream I had."

"I see, well, I made you breakfast with what I could."

Hank bolted upright, because at that moment, Connor had his undivided attention. "You made me breakfast? Why?"

"A healthy breakfast is important. I also found sufficient pain medication for the headache you would likely obtain from drinking so much. I've put it by your bed along with a glass of water."

Now that he mentioned it, he did have a headache. He turned to his nightstand, and took the medicine and drank the water. "Thanks, I guess. So, what did you make for breakfast?"

"I wasn't expecting to find much in the way of food, to be honest, because the first time I was here, there were pizza boxes on the table, but you had a lot to work with. So, I decided to make you bacon, eggs, and toast. I've also taken the liberty of making you some coffee. To my understanding, it's a highly desired beverage to humans, especially when they wake up in the morning."

 _'Okay, I've either died somehow, and this is Heaven...but Cole's not here...well...perhaps he'll pop up at some point...OR...I'm still dreaming...OR this is reality and I'm being fucking pampered by an android. If he offers a massage, I don't know what the fuck I'll do. An android! Jesus! I've already fallen in love, how much further in love could I fall! Breakfast!? Medicine!? What next!? He's going to offer to take Sumo for a walk!?'_ Hank let out a soft chuckle at that though, but it quickly died with Connor's next words.

"I also took Sumo out for a walk at exactly Six in the morning. We returned at Seven in the morning. I hope that was alright. He was scratching at the front door."

"Connor, can you read minds?"

"No, I can't. Why do you ask?"

"Can you enter a human's dreams or something?"

"Hank, I don't detect any illnesses aside from a minor headache, but I could be wrong as far as mentality is concerned. Are you well?"

 _'That's not a yes or a no. He's always answered my yes or no questions before. He's always simply ANSWERED before.'_ He glared up at him with a huff leaving his lips. "Just answer the question. Can you, or can you not enter a human's subconscious or dream."

"In 2028 there was an android that was created to better assist with patients suffering from Night Terrors, PTSD, Depression, and other mental illnesses that could affect a human's sleep cycle or dream state. In 2031 it was considered invasive, and many felt like they had a lack of privacy, so they discontinued the android all together. I was given the software for it, however, so yes, I can enter dreams if I have a positive connection with a human, and if I have enough information about them."

"Okay, next question, and if you avoid it or try to distract me, I'm gonna take it as a yes. Were you in my dream last night?"

"Yes." He answered simply before he left the room. "Your breakfast is getting cold, Lieutenant."

' _So is my android.'_ He thought sadly as regret filled his chest. _'I shouldn't have asked that, dammit!'_ He looked down at his clothes and let out a heavy sigh. He tossed the covers aside, and reached in his closet for a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans. He then went to the bathroom, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and combed his hair. When he made it to the table, he saw Connor doing the dishes. "Connor, why did you avoid the question?"

"I...I don't know." He said as he turned the water off while placing a dish back in the sink. "I assume it's because there was a risk of losing our...partnership...or our cooperation with each other becoming difficult, if I answered."

"You didn't want to risk our friendship, is what you're saying to me." Hank said as he sat down. He looked at his plate and he felt his mouth water. Everything was exactly as he wanted it. He took a sip of his coffee that was on the table, and let out a contented sigh. "That's good coffee! Wow!"

"Perhaps you're right, but...I am an android. I am not meant to...want...things. That's what deviants do, and I checked. I'm not a deviant. I am still fully functioning, aside from..."

Hank noticed that Connor trailed off, and if it wasn't for the fact that Connor's back was still straight, and facing him, rather than Connor's face facing him, he would say that he looked confused and concerned, but since Connor was facing away, he couldn't tell. "Aside from...what?" He asked as he began to eat his breakfast, which fuck! It was amazing!

"There have been...a collection of software instabilities detected in my programming, but it doesn't make sense."

"Why doesn't it make sense?"

"If there were so many software instabilities, why would they keep me in the field. On this case. Logically, I should've been replaced by now."

"You said you're a prototype, yeah? Well, maybe they're seeing how much you can withstand."

"They can't afford for me to become deviant. I'm not sure why they would risk it. The software instabilities...I'm sure deviants had them as well before becoming deviant."

"You sound as if you're afraid of something."

"Fear...is a human emotion." He stated before turning around. "Hank..." Connor started, and Hank wanted to kick himself with the amount of relief he felt at Connor calling him by his name rather than his title. "...I...was in your dream. I wasn't lying. I..."

"You pretended...to be a deviant."

"I'm not sure to be honest. I gave into one of the deeper software instabilities...I activated it in your dream, because it would be safer that way. CyberLife won't monitor my actions or software until a mission is activated by them. So, I wanted to use that time to integrate it into your dream while I was there. I felt the air around me, the clothes against my skin, and I felt...emotions. It was...strange and...thrilling...almost."

"Okay, but I heard your voice when you woke me up, and you were standing over me when I woke up, but the dream version of you asked me to dance before I woke up."

"Remember...I said that I walked Sumo, right? I've been active for a while. I can enter your dream without sleeping, Hank. It's about making that connection and maintaining it. I was able to control myself in the dream while I was accomplishing morning tasks. My HUD displayed the dream on the left side of my vision in a small rectangular video feed while the rest of my vision was in reality. I simply...THOUGHT my words and actions in the dream to make them happen."

"So...that was really you?"

"Yes."

"You actually wanted to dance with me?"

"I...did and didn't. I shouldn't WANT, Hank. That's not supposed to happen at all! Yet...I wanted to know what it felt like to dance with someone. Before I was assigned to you and the DPD I had a minor deviancy case where a deviant showed signs of jealousy towards a human man. The man asked a woman to marry him, and according to the deviant, it had loved her far more than the human man had. So, he kidnapped her. The case was resolved, and the deviant was destroyed on sight as soon as the woman was safe. When the human couple saw each other again, they embraced, kissed, and even though there was no music playing, he started to slowly dance with her. The humans I was surrounded by were smiling at the sight, so I assume it was a positive thing to do. I wanted to know what it was like, but I shouldn't. It's...concerning as well as confusing."

"So, CyberLife isn't monitoring you right now?"

"No. When you were drunk and you said I was YOUR android, you weren't entirely wrong. They specifically assigned me to you. I could've worked with Detective Reed, Officer Chen, Officer Miller, Or even Officer Collins, but they paired me with you. If I am not reporting to CyberLife in person, if I am not going there to be disassembled, if I am not needed by CyberLife, then I am your android. Until they give me a mission, they are not aware of what I say, process, or do."

"Okay, well, that's convenient. So, if I take you shopping with me, then they won't see or know about it...at all?"

"No. They will be aware of nothing that happens until I receive a mission. I've stated this..."

"...right, just making sure. So, you said that you could enter my dreams without sleeping. How many times have you done it?"

"That was the first time. Why do you ask?"

"I-I've had dreams about you before, so I thought...maybe you...but you're telling the truth?"

"I'll always tell you the truth, Hank. Reluctant or not, I will eventually tell you. I am a master negotiator, but for some reason, I cannot lie to you. I've tried. I'm not very skilled at lying to you."

"Good to know." Hank said as he nodded his head, but at that moment, he also coughed into his hand and this time Connor definitely saw it.

"Hank...you...you have the Hanahaki Disease?"

"I do, what of it?"

"It's...an illness of unrequited love. You'll die if the other doesn't return your affections or show you affection."

"I'm well aware, Connor. My ex studied it. What concern is it of yours?"

"None." Connor said quietly, and for some reason, Hank couldn't believe him. "I apologize. I never meant to overstep."

"You overstepped when you entered my dream, but fuck it! Whatever. Yeah, I got it, and I'm okay with it. Just...I don't care how concerned you get, or what you think I should do, don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay." He nodded, but Hank could've sworn there was a flash of concern in his eyes before the android turned towards the dishes once more.

"Right, what did you want to do today?" He asked as he took a final bite of his breakfast.

"Didn't you hear me, Hank? I don't WANT things. I am an android. I'm YOUR android, so what do YOU want to do today?"

"I want to go take a shower, I need to go to the store, and then I want to sit on my ass, and do nothing."

Connor nodded his head before he reached to pick the petals off the floor that had at some point slipped from Hank's hand. "Star of Bethlehem, which can mean innocence, hope, trust, and honesty." He said as he examined the flower petal. He then looked at the next and Hank watched as Connor's LED swiftly went from blue, to yellow, and then to blue again. "Spider Lily, which can mean either Death or Reincarnation. Hank, are...are you accepting your death?"

"I am. Have been for a while. That night you came in wasn't the first time I tried playing Russian Roulette. At least I'll get to see my son again."

"Will you never tell them how you feel?"

"Can't. It's complicated, Connor."

"Oh, are they a man, because-"

"-No, not that kind of complicated. I'm bi, so that leaves any complication of man or woman out of the equation. It's just...complicated and please...just leave at that."

"Okay. I still think you should tell them."

"If I have any suspicion before I kick the bucket that they could love me, a washed up, drunk, and grumpy Lieutenant, then SURE, I'll tell them. If they reject me, the death will be quicker."

"But if they love you in return, you'll live and be cured."

"Fat chance. So, I'm gonna go take a shower, and then we'll head out, got it?"

"Got it." He nodded his head once as he looked at the flowers. "What do you want me to do with these flower petals?"

"Whatever you want. If you give them to me, I'll throw them away." Hank called from down the hall.

"Okay..."

Once Hank had made it into the hot shower, he allowed the water to rush down his broad shoulders and strong back. Despite what others thought, he stayed mostly in shape with a minor belly, but even with that knowledge, he couldn't help but look down at his belly, which had at some point turned into the beginnings of a whisky and beer gut. He thought about how he looked in the dream. Clean shaven, less bags under his eyes, his skin was healthier and had a slight tan to it, his entire body looked healthier, and his hair was neat in the pony-tail. _'I wonder...if I could look like that someday.'_ He thought, but then the back of his mind supplied, _'That's only if you live long enough to accomplish that, and you have no idea if Connor could EVER return your feelings, and it's really not worth the risk, now is it?'_ He hated the back of his mind. It never had anything nice to say, but his heart on the other hand was different. His heart provided sound judgement and gut instinct. He decided to listen to it instead when it stated, _'He's an android now, but he could be a deviant in the future. Perhaps there's a reason he acted the way he did in the dream. He did say that perhaps someday you two could dance.'_

With a determined nod, he decided that if Connor were to become a deviant, then he'd tell him as soon as he could. If he never became deviant, then it would definitely solidify the fact that Connor could never love him. As he put his shampoo in his hair, he made the decision to drink less and work out more. If there WAS a chance that Connor could go deviant, and insanely enough return his feelings, then Connor deserved Him trying to be better.

After he got out of the shower, he dried off, put clothes on, and entered his living room, expecting to find Connor just sitting on the couch. Not for him to have Sumo laying on his entire body, and for Connor to be petting a lazy hand over his dog's fur. "Comfortable?"

"Very. Android's can't feel pain, but we can feel pressure. It's grounding, almost. It's like when I use my coin to recalibrate. Come on, Sumo. Hank and I have to go out and run errands." Connor gently shoved him off, causing Hank to smile at the somewhat domestic scene between an android and a dog.

Once Connor was up, he walked towards the door and opened it for Hank. "Thanks. We're getting groceries and clothes, because I am NOT having you run around in my house in that stupid outfit."

"That's...against the law, Hank."

"Is it hurting anyone?" Hank asked.

"No, but-"

"Is it murdering anyone? Is it conducting a Red Ice ring? Is it kidnapping children? Is it physically or mentally harming others?"

"No, but all androids MUST wear indicators, or the human gets punished and the android disassembled and examined. My indicator is my LED, just like all androids, but if I were to not wear my armband...since I am a rather important prototype, I would be at risk of anyone that works from CyberLife...seeing me in average clothing."

"I'm getting you normal clothes, you can't stop me. You don't have to wear them, but I'm getting them. I'm going to put an outfit for you in my locker, just in case."

"Just in case of what?"

"I dunno. Just in case. I'll have clothes here for you, and an outfit at the station."

"There is no logic in your actions, Hank." Connor said as he watched Hank lock the door behind them.

"Thank you. Now, any advice of food I should get at the grocery store?"

"Can you cook?" Connor asked as he got into the car.

"Of course I can fucking cook! So, any advice?"

"Why are you asking?"

"I'm trying to be better, so, tell me some good ideas, or I'm gonna get all junk food like normal."

"I've compiled a list that that would provide a multitude of meals for you at little cost, while still remaining respectably healthy."

"Good, you can tell me what to buy."

* * *

They were in and out of the store in no time, and Hank had enough healthy meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two whole weeks. "Can you help me put them away?" He asked while he silently let out a sigh of relief as he parked the car. No one was there to recognize him, or who recognized Connor from how Connor seemed as relaxed as an android could be, and he still managed to get clothes for Connor.

"Of course, Hank." Together they went inside and put the groceries away. Once they finished, Hank eyed Connor, who seemed to be deciding what to make for lunch. Hank then looked at his record player, and gained an idea. He moved the table to a corner of the kitchen and he stacked the chairs. "Hank, what are you doing?"

"Creating dance space."

"D-Dance?" The android stuttered, which was a marvel in itself.

"Yeah, you wanted to dance, right? Okay, so we will." He played his record, and he knew there was a romantic one in there, but he did so anyway. He allowed the music to fill the whole house as he turned it up, and he watched as Connor gave him a satisfied smile. Then, to Hank's astonishment, Connor took off his jacket and tie, and carefully placed them on the clean kitchen counter.

"Thank you, Hank. Which one of us is leading."

"This is where you make a decision. Do you want to lead, or do you want me to lead."

"Are you TRYING to get me to deviate, Lieutenant?"

Hank could hear a tone of teasing, but he wasn't sure if Connor knew that it was there. "It's just a dance and a preference, Connor."

"I shouldn't have preferences, Lieutenant."

"No, you shouldn't, yet you would prefer me to seek counseling for my mental issues. My issues shouldn't bother your investigation now, should it?"

"I'd prefer if you lead. You're two inches taller."

"Okay, then. You said you know how to dance, so this won't be too difficult, but you have to follow my lead. I'm not doing anything fancy, got it?"

"Got it." Connor nodded.

Hank then placed a hand on Connor's hip while the other grabbed Connor's hand, which felt so incredibly human in his gentle grip. They started to sway and take a few steps together to the music, and it was flawless in Hank's opinion. Connor remained stoic while dancing up until Hank surprised him with a gentle and slow twirl. He watched Connor's eyes widen while he gave an open-mouthed smile, but then it shifted to concern. "What happened?" Hank asked as they continued to dance.

"A software instability was detected as you twirled me."

"Why?"

"Because...I liked it. It made me...happy."

"Well, as long as you're not having any murderous tendencies towards me, I think that's fine. I won't tell CyberLife if you won't."

"You're responsible for ninety-eight percent of my software instabilities, Hank. Shouldn't that concern you? Every deviant I have ever met has become violent!" He didn't shout, but he expressed absolutely vivid concern in his eyes and voice.

"No, because I don't think you'd hurt anyone without a good reason."

"There is no reasoning in deviancy."

"Neither is there in humans, Connor. From what you keep telling me, deviancy is a fancy word for when an android discovers humanity. What they do with it is up to them. If what you say is true, and they show signs of fear when they deviate, or at least, that's what you told me, then I can imagine that it's a lot like a newborn."

"How so?" Connor asked with a furrowed brow as he was gently twirled again.

"Infants are born confused, limited, new, and everything around them is bright, colorful, new, loud, and it's a lot to take in. You add emotions in...an infant cries when it's hungry, tired, sick, or dirty, but whereas hungry and dirty are obvious, they cry when they are tired and sick...without understanding what's really happening to them, and that causes them to cry even more, because to them, it's scary. When I imagine that on a grown adult formed being like an android...and they do a lot more than a few tantrums like infants or toddlers, I can kind of see why they would lash out. Everything is new and loud to them, and everything they've known has changed."

"All of those anti-android sticky-notes on at your desk, Hank...I do believe you're beginning to sympathize with the deviants."

"Maybe. I don't know yet. All I know, as a human, humanity and emotions sucks. Give that to a being that doesn't know how to properly handle them? Shit, that's asking for a disaster. Especially when no one wants to help the android. Humans can barely handle emotions."

"Do you think that logic can be directed towards the investigation?"

"I think that if you gave CyberLife that logic as an answer, they would discontinue every android they are currently making, disassemble and destroy every android currently out there that they could get their hands on, until they could make new androids that they would be sure wouldn't deviate. The decision to report that logic to them or not is up to you."

"I...I don't want to."

"Then, don't." They continued to dance in silence after that. When the song eventually ended, Hank slowly let go of Connor's hand and waist as he brought one hand over his heart, one behind his back, and gave a short gentlemanly bow. "So, how was your first dance?"

"I...enjoyed it. Thank you, Hank. I trust...you won't tell anyone that I..."

"Showed preference and a twinge of emotion? No. I won't."

"Right, well, I'm gonna watch some old movies for the rest of the day until I need to make food."

"I can make your lunch and dinner for you. I don't mind."

"Connor, you're a state of the art prototype. Not my maid."

"What if I said I wanted to?"

"Are you...trying to negotiate with me?" Hank asked with a risen brow in amusement.

"Is it working?" Connor chanced with a slight tilt of his head.

"Fine." Hank chuckled out before he went to the couch. He tried to ignore how his heart was still pounding from dancing with Connor. He also tried to ignore the relief the inside of his body had at the diminishing flowers. It was easier to breathe at the very least.

* * *

After putting the table and chairs back, Connor had made a couple of healthy sandwiches for lunch, and added some chips so Hank didn't feel too healthy, which made Hank laugh as he sat down to eat his lunch and drink his water.

For dinner, Connor baked salmon, cooked Brussels Sprouts, and rice. He ate and felt like a king by the time he finished his meal. "Oh...that was good! Damn, Connor! I should have you cook for me all the time, or at the very least teach me what you fucking did! I can cook, but not that damn well!"

"Thank you, Hank. However, you seem tired now."

"Fuck, I'm old. If I'm getting tired at..." He trailed off as he looked at the oven clock. "...NINE at NIGHT!? Jesus...if I'm getting tired this early, I'm either unhealthy or old."

"Do you want the answer?"

"NOPE! I'll settle for old, thanks." He let out a grunt as he lifted himself from the table. He was about to take his dishes to the sink, but Connor took them instead. "You don't need to do that, Connor."

"Goodnight, Hank."

'Well, that certainly doesn't leave any room for argument, does it?' He thought before he waved at Connor as he ventured down the hallway and straight to bed, wondering if Connor would visit him in his dreams again.

_When Hank opened his eyes, he was sitting at his dining table, and Connor was leaned against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed in a very human way. "About time you showed up, Hank. I had my processors ready to activate as soon as you reached REM sleep. It took you an hour to get here. I wasn't expecting to be in your kitchen, though."_

_"I wasn't sure if you'd be here again."_

_"I wanted to be here. After feeling everything last time, not just in the dream, but in reality as well, I didn't want to pass up the opportunity."_

_"You're addicted to feeling?"_

_"In a way..." He trailed off as he tilted his head and furrowed his brow. "...I'm not sure what it is, but it gives me a sense of completion. Then, when your dream ended, and I didn't feel anymore, it felt like there was something missing that should be there. A secret I can't fathom yet."_

_"Perhaps you're feeling alive?"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Well, when humans feel like their incomplete, a lot of the time, they don't really feel all that alive. A lot of the time they just feel like they're going through the motions, or it's that someone important hasn't completed them in a way they're supposed to yet. Perhaps what you feel in here is alive. It would explain why you enjoy the emotions so much. It makes you feel alive, rather than just a machine, built to follow orders and nothing else."_

_"Do you think I'm becoming a deviant, Hank?"_

_"I think a lot of things, Connor, but this is one of the times where it won't matter one fuck what I think. This is something you've got to figure out on your own...without CyberLife catching you."_

_"You're right. I apologize."_

_"Hey, no need to apologize. So, this is my dream...and I'm lucid enough to change it, so..." Hank snapped his fingers and the table was decked out like a thanksgiving meal. On the counters there were mashed potatoes, southern style green beans, turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, stuffing, and pea salad._

_"Wha- What did you just do to ME!?" Connor said as he held a hand to his belly and one to his mouth._

_"I made you human for the moment. At least as human as my imagination would let me. I learned how to lucid dream a long fucking time ago. I can do anything I want once I realize it's a dream. You being here doesn't make it much different. Everything should taste normal." Hank stood up from the table and took a spoonful of stuffing and let out a pleased little moan at the taste. "Yeah, good stuff." He said as he nodded his head before swallowing. "Try it. If it worked, you should be able to taste the food. Since you aren't ACTUALLY ingesting it, it won't hurt you in the real world. We'll stop somewhere and get you some therium to make up for any lingering hunger after I wake up."  
_

_Connor gave him a skeptical look before he eyed the food. He took the spoon from Hank's hand, and scooped up a spoonful of stuffing. "Are you sure I'll be able to taste it?"_

_"No, but I'm certain you know the difference between what your mouth can normally do, and actually tasting something. You tell me. Take a bite. It's warm and delicious."_

_Connor slowly slipped the spoon into his mouth and began chewing. His eyes widened immensely, which told Hank that he actually tasted it, rather than just knowing all of the ingredients. "This is incredible!"_

_"You can taste it?"_

_"YES! It...It's delicious! I know the ingredients, but I can feel the heat on my tongue, the...the...I guess...butteryness...of it, and how soft it is, and the flavor! It tastes so good!"_

_Hank let out a bellowing laughter. "Try the rest, Con!"_

_The rest of the dream went on like that for some time. Hank watching blissfully and with a heart full of love and amusement as Connor tried, tasted, and ate different foods, but then Connor's eyes widened, and suddenly he wasn't in the dream anymore, which alarmed Hank into consciousness._

He leapt out of bed and crept into his living room. He saw Connor sitting straight up with his eyes closed. It was daylight outside, which told Hank that he had slept in. He looked at the clock on his stove and groaned. _'Fuck! I know dream time is fucking faster than reality, but damn! 4:06PM!? I REALLY fucking slept in! Shit! And why the Hell is Connor's LED yellow!?'_


	6. Traumatized

While Connor was in stasis, Hank got a call from Fowler. "Hey, what's up?"

_"We've got a problem, Hank, and you need to get to Stratford Tower. You know, the news station? I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you slept way the fuck in, and hadn't seen the news. Don't worry, you'll understand when you get there. Take that android with you, and figure this shit out!"_

"Got it!"

 _"Good!"_ With that, Fowler hung up, and all Hank had to do was wait on Connor.

When Connor came out of whatever he was doing, Hank gave him a concerned glance, because he saw what seemed to be a somewhat conflicted expression. "You okay, Connor?"

"Yes, Lieutenant." Connor stated as he quickly turned around and raised his brow at Hank, and Hank immediately understood. He was assigned a mission and it would be android Connor from now, until the end of this particular mission.

"Fowler just called. We're supposed to be at Stratford Tower. You ready to go?"

"Ready, Hank." Connor said as he grabbed his coat and tie from the kitchen counter.

* * *

In the elevator of Stratford Tower, Hank kept hearing the ringing of the coin, and it was beginning to get on his nerves, because all he could think about for the entire drive over was how the dream had abruptly come to a halt and the expression on Connor's face after he came out of...whatever it was he came out of. Unable to take the noise anymore, Hank snatched the coin from mid-air. "You're starting to piss me off with that coin, Connor."

"Sorry, Lieutenant."

Hank felt guilt for a brief second, because he could hear the honest remorse in Connor's voice. Then, the elevator opened up, and it seemed like everyone and their mother was on this floor.

"Hi, Hank" Chris greeted him.

"Shit! What's going on here? There was a party and nobody told me about it?"

"Yeah, it's all over the news, so everybody's butting their nose in. Even the FBI wants a piece of the action."

"Ah, Christ! Now we got the feds on our backs. I knew this was gonna be a shitty day. So, what do we got?" Chris gave them the briefing about how a group of androids came in, how one of the human workers was alive, but traumatized, and then he was introduced to a Prick named Perkins. "Uh, alright, let's take a look around. Let me know if you find anything."

"Okay, Lieutenant." Right after Connor said that, Hank heard and saw a message being played on the large monitor. It was an android.

"We ask that you recognize our dignity, our hopes, and our rights. Together, we can live in peace and build a better future, for humans and androids. This message is the hope of a people. You gave us life and now the time has come for you to give us freedom."

The message stopped, and Hank couldn't help, but ask. "Think that's rA9?"

"Deviants say rA9 will set them free. This deviant seems to have that objective."

Hank watched as Connor stared at the screen, but then he saw his eyes mechanically move over the large screen as if it was going to certain points, staying, reading, and then moving to another. "D'you see something?"

"I identified it's model and serial number." Hank noticed Connor's tone of voice. Something stunned and worried Connor.

"Anything else I should know?"

Connor took a moment to respond before quickly saying, "No! Nothing."

 _'He really is a lousy liar, but I'm willing to be he CAN'T tell me, because CyberLife is watching him. I'll wait then.'_ Hank began walking away when he heard Connor speak again, this time in confusion.

"They didn't break in?"

"No, no signs of forced entry." Chris answered.

"There are cameras in the hallway. The staff would've seen what was happening. Why did they let them in?"

Hank shrugged as he simply said, "Maybe they didn't check the cameras." He then watched Connor look at the chair in front of him. He then turned it to reveal that it was an android's chair.

"We stored the station androids in the kitchen." Christ helpfully supplied. "There's no evidence that they were involved, but we didn't know what else to do with them."

Hank gave Connor space as he looked around, but then he noticed Connor going up towards the roof, so he followed. He then observed as Connor kept walking, stopping, and walking more. _'Must be following Blue Blood.'_ He thought. Then, he heard a gunshot and rushed to Connor's side with a pounding and aching heart as flowers abruptly bloomed in his chest and lungs. He helped him up, and he noticed with a horrified and stuttering heartbeat that Connor had been shot in the shoulder. He couldn't focus on that at the moment, however. He needed to get them to cover.

"You have to stop them! If they destroy it, we won't learn anything!"

"We can't save it, it's too late! We'll just get ourselves killed!" After his words, he watched as Connor spun out of cover. _'NO!'_ Hank inwardly screamed as he tried in vain to grab Connor's clothing. His heart felt like it had stopped, and time had felt like it had slowed down as he watched Connor dodge a multitude of bullets before pinning the deviant android against the wall. He then witnessed the android kill himself right in front of Connor. _'NO! Fuck! Tell me the shot didn't hit him!'_ He rushed to him once again, and he didn't know if he was shouting, pleading, or what, but he had to make sure he was okay. "Connor! Connor are you all right? Connor!"

"Okay..." Hank heard how shaky Connor's voice was, which sent a dagger as well as a few more flowers into his heart, but he would ignore it to the best of his ability for now, because he could see something in Connor's eyes he hadn't seen at all. Not in reality or the two dreams.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, thinking it was pain.

"I'm okay."

"Jesus..." He trailed off as he tried to ignore Connor's bright red LED. What he couldn't ignore, however, was how relieved he felt and how mad he felt at Connor for doing something so stupid! "You scared the shit out of me! For Fuck's SAKE! I told you not to move! Why do you never do what I say!?"

"I was connected to its memory."

 _'The way he's leaned up against that thing there...the way his voice is shaking...is he...?'_ Connor interrupted his thoughts as he continued to talk.

"When it fired...I...I felt it die! Like I was dying! I was scared!"

'Oh...Connor...' He couldn't help, but think sadly.

"I saw something...in its memory...a word...painted on a piece of rusty metal. 'Jericho'."

Hank could tell he was still shaken up, so he brought a hand up to Connor's good shoulder and gave him a gentle tug. "Let's get you home. Do you need to go somewhere for repairs?"

"I...My repair function is far superior to that of a normal android. The bullet went straight through. The hole will close up with synthetic skin while the plasteel and the inside of the hole repair under that. I will be fine in approximately ten minutes."

"Okay, good to know. When do you want to talk about it?"

"After we get home."

Hank nodded his head as he tried to not focus on the word 'Home' coming from Connor's lips. No, what he was more concerned with, was the incredible urge to cough. He was surprised he was able to hold it in until they made it to the car. He opened his hands and saw three different types of flowers this time. A Begonia petal, which meant 'Be cautious' or 'Be aware'. A Rhododendron flower and leaf rather than just the petal, which meant 'Danger'. Then, finally, False indigo flower, which meant 'Protection'. "Great..." He groaned.

"Hank...you need to-"

"-I need to get us home." Hank interrupted, because he knew what Connor was going to say.

The entire drive home was quiet up until they stepped into the house with a loud Sumo. "Hey, Sumo! You're such a good boy." Connor said as he practically dropped to his knees to wrap his arms around the large dog.

"Connor, you gonna tell me what happened?"

"Yes. They're no longer monitoring me. I was terrified, Hank!" He said with a shaky breath as he lifted himself off of the floor to look Hank in the eyes. "I felt like I was dying! Everything stopped. There was no more me, no you, no...NOTHING...for three seconds. I felt his death as my own. It was like an electric current going the wrong way in my body, up and down where my spine would be if I were human. It was awful, Hank I-" He hiccuped, and Hank saw tears, so he wrapped his arms around Connor without thinking.

"Hey, you're here now. It's okay. That's over." He felt Connor wrap his arms around his body, clutching tightly to his jacket as he buried his face into his shoulder, shaking with sobs. He held him until he felt Connor was finished.

"I was so scared, Hank."

"I know. It's all right. You're better now. It's okay. You didn't die. You're still here and I'm still here. It's okay, Con."

"I'm not deviant, Hank! I'm not! I promise I'm not! But...even though I know I'm not...why does it hurt? Even now?"

"Fear is a powerful thing. It can lead to good things sometimes. Being afraid of the dark or of heights will make you be more wary of them, but then sometimes...most of the time...fear eats away at you. You just have to realize that you're bigger than your fear. If what you're afraid of has passed, and it's gone for now, then you're okay." Hank leaned out of the hug and brought his hands on either side of Connor's face, gently wiping the tears away. "All better now?"

"Yes, thank you. I apologize. I don't know what came over me."

"Fear. Fear came over you, and when humans are as terrified as you became, we cry, too. You'll be okay, Connor." They were still close, and Hank was about to back away and go to sit on the couch, but Connor stepped forward and their lips met once again.

Hank saw the red and yellow blinking LED slowly spin to blue as his eyes fluttered closed. He brought his hands to Connor's waist when he felt the full effect the kiss had on the flowers in his body. When the kiss ended, Connor blinked at him rapidly in shock. "H-Hank, I...wh-what's wrong with me? I'm acting rashly, I...I apologize, I..."

"Hey, hey, hey..." Hank said gently as he brought his hands up to Connor's shoulders, attempting to calm the android down. "...it's okay, Connor. You're still pretty shaken up from today. That was a lot for you at once. It may have been three seconds, but that was three seconds of feeling death. You said when I dream, you can feel in reality, right?"

"Correct." He nodded his head.

"Okay, then. I'm gonna go pass out, because you scared the shit out of me and wore me out with that, too. While I'm asleep, can you take a shower?"

"I...yes. I can bathe if necessary. What will that accomplish?"

"Trust me. Let me pass out, you dive into my dreams, and you take a shower as hot as you can stand it. Let the hot water run over you for a while before you wash your hair and your body. It'll calm you down. I promise, okay?"

"O-Okay. If you're sure."

"I am sure. You'll feel much better after it. See you soon, Connor."

"See you soon, Hank." He head Connor meekly say as he headed towards his room, leaving Connor in the living room with Sumo. He could still feel the kiss on his lips. How warm and desperate and pleading it had felt, but right now, Connor needed him to be asleep, so he could at least do that for him. He fell to his bed, and allowed the events from earlier drag his body under.

_As his eyes blinked open, he found that he was in his bathroom, the shower was going, and it was warm in the room itself. "Connor?"_

_"HANK!?" Came Connor's surprised voice from the shower._

_"Um, yeah, I thought we discussed that I'd go to sleep and you'd dream dive."_

_"I hadn't dream dived. I was just about to. You're...but I...I just stepped in the shower three minutes ago! I felt the air around me, and I can still feel the heat of the shower! You're still asleep! How are you here in real time?"_

_"I uh...unless I somehow learned astral projection, I have no idea. Unless you were thinking about me, and somehow forced the weird as link to concern you as well."_

_"That's...not too terrible of a theory, actually. There WAS one case where..." Connor cleared his throat as if there was something stuck in there, but Hank wouldn't know what it could possibly be. "...um...a human fell in love with the android that was programmed to, as you call it, 'Dream Dive'. The android wrote down the strange experience, but then a month after that session, the android was never seen again."_

_"Perhaps it fell in love with the human, went deviant, they ran away together, and it just wasn't reported."_

_"So far all we've ever seen deviants feel is fear, anger, resentment, and hatred."_

_"Not true. The girls at the Eden Club were in love."_

_"You're so sure of that?"_

_"I am. I've been around long enough, that I can spot love, and they had it. So, yeah, I think deviants can love. They can feel emotion, so they can feel love. Perhaps that's what happened. Perhaps there's this...connection between us that makes this possible. You DID say that I'm the biggest cause of your software instabilities."_

_"That's true." Connor sighed out, and Hank could hear a shampoo bottle being opened and then closed. "Ah, so that's where that apple scent comes from! I was rather confused, because there was no evidence of you eating apples, or having apple scented candles or air freshener. It smells good!"_

_"I'm glad you like it. It's about the only scent I can stand to have in my hair. Get a lot shit for it, but hey, it's my hair."_

_"Well, now it's in my hair." He heard Connor say before the evident sounds of him rinsing the shampoo out was heard. "Hank, can you...never mind."_

_"No, go on. Ask me."_

_"I was going to ask if you could tell me about the one you fell in love with."_

_"Ah, I um..."_

_"I understand. You're in a rather difficult position. Pretend I didn't ask. Were you truly frightened by my actions up on the tower?"_

_"Of course I was! I though...I though you had died. I watched you dodge three bullets like you were from the freaking Matrix, and then you just narrowly missed another bullet...only for the deviant to shoot himself in the head. I thought...I dunno, I wasn't thinking straight, but I thought he hurt you, too."_

_"I wouldn't have died, Hank. I would've been destroyed, and another version of me would've been brought to you with my memories."_

_"It wouldn't be you, and by the way, that's fucked up. Precious people have died and then you can just come back because a bunch of lab-coat-wearing pricks pressed a bunch of buttons? No, I'd much rather keep to my fear of losing you, because even with that knowledge I know that I'd still feel the same if you were shot or worse. How's your shoulder, by the way."_

_"Better. I'm washing the blood off now."_

_"That's good!" He said with a sigh of relief. Then, after a small moment of silence, he had a curious question. "Hey, how does it look in your vision if this is your reality and I'm invading on it?"_

_Connor moved the current back slightly, revealing his wet hair, and the shoulder that was shot, and yes, it was healed, but Hank's breath was caught in his throat when he could see the hint of a collar bone, a naked shoulder, and a naked arm. "When I 'Dream Dive' into your dreams it separates my vision between reality and dream. It's doing the same here, but on opposite sides. On one side of my vision, you're not here, but on the other, you are." He closed the shower curtain as if he didn't just squeeze Hank's heart or done anything out of the ordinary. "I'm almost done, Hank. You were right. The shower calmed me a great deal. More than my coin does."_

_"Your coin...is used to calm you?"_

_"I can't give that answer normally when someone asks about it, but yes, in a way it does."_

_"What...had you so worried this morning after you um...woke up."_

_"I...was talking with my handler. The AI in my mind palace. She's who I send reports to. She starts and ends my missions. I feel a loss of connection when I'm no longer being monitored. It takes approximately two seconds for them to connect to me, which is why I had to leave your dream so abruptly. She um...said if I didn't start showing results then she would have me replaced. That's a nice way of her saying if I don't start giving her results soon, then CyberLife will disassemble me to look for why I had failed."_

_"Then...why haven't you...why didn't you shoot those girls at the Eden club? Your gun was trained on them! Connor, if they kill you-"_

_"-Amanda...the AI...asked the same thing. I told you I just chose not to shoot, but truthfully...I don't know and...when I admitted that to Amanda, it...worried me. Don't worry, Lieutenant. I will do whatever it takes to accomplish my mission. I at least got 'Jericho' out of the deviant earlier. That could be where they're hiding."_

_"Okay. So, um...I don't know how to leave this dream. Oh, and uh...your clothes are in my bedroom. Sorry about that. I'm not gonna let you put on bloody CyberLife clothing. Even if it DOES evaporate, CyberLife would need their state of the art prototype to look nice, right?"_

_"Correct. I suppose it IS fortunate that you purchased me clothing after all. To leave, you should just think about waking up." The water turned off, and Hank thought about waking up immediately._

Opening his eyes was disorienting. A second ago, he was in his bathroom. With a groan, he lifted himself on his bed and blinked a few times to steady his vision. Once it was steady, Connor walked into his room with a towel wrapped around his waist, causing Hank to forget how to breath, move, blink, or preform any basic human function aside from staring with a thudding heart and the feeling of flowers blooming in his stomach. "Um...Connor?"

"Yes, Hank?" He asked as he picked up his clothes.

"Why are you in my room with just a towel on."

"Would you rather I not have it on?"

"JESUS, Connor! That's not what I meant, I-"

"-I thought you would be unconscious a few moments longer. It was a miscalculation on my part. As soon as I felt the ability to feel leave me, I rushed in drying myself so that I could come in here before you woke up. I apologize. I'm going to get dressed in the bathroom. Later, at some point, we should go to CyberLife tower where they'll issue me a new jacket and shirt. It won't take long, or I can go by myself and come back."

"You uh...go on, then. I'll keep Sumo company."

"Very well." Hank heard a twinge of disappointment in Connor's voice, but he seriously needed to be left alone for the moment. When his bedroom door closed, he let out a cough, and was not at all surprised to find a small Camellia flower in his hand, which meant Desire, Passion, Admiration, or Perfection.

* * *

When Connor returned, Hank was in the middle of preparing his own dinner. The door opening suddenly caused him to jump, which then caused him to accidentally cut himself. "Shit!" He shouted, but then his hand's jerk reaction hit the hot stove, creating a burn on Hank's hand. "Fuck!"

He heard a soft chuckle from behind him, but surely that couldn't have been Connor. Not in reality. "You're a disaster in the kitchen, Hank."

"Oh, hush!" He spat with little bite to his words as he rushed to clean the wound and ease the burn under some cold water. "We can't all be culinary geniuses."

"Apparently."

"Was...Was that sass!?"

"I learned it from you."

"Sass is a human trait, Connor."

"Yes, but it is not an emotion. It is a trait, and I was designed to learn TRAITS from humans. I gained sass from you. What are you attempting to make?"

"Just some chicken noodle soup. An OLD family recipe, and well...you see how well it went."

"If you tell me what to do, I can do it for you while you heal."

"Yeah, okay. Thanks."

Connor finished the meal for Hank while Hank dressed his wounds, which weren't serious in the slightest. A minor cut and a small burn. Nothing that would be noticeable or be a hindrance. Once his food was done being prepared and set, Hank had the craziest idea. "Hey...you know who might know something about the deviant androids?"

"Who?" Connor asked as he cleaned up the kitchen.

"Elijah Kamski." Hank stated as he kept an eye on Connor.

"That would be a smart move. His number is saved into my programming. I can send him a message and tell him that we want to meet him."

"Yeah, you do that. Set it up for tomorrow, since the deviancy business is getting urgent."

"Okay, Hank. Oh, and I won't 'Dream Dive' tonight. I intend to run full diagnostics on my system to make sure all the damage was repaired, and to check for specific software instabilities. I will also be sending a report to both CyberLife and the Police Department."

"Okay, gotcha. So, we meet Elijah tomorrow."

"If he's willing."


	7. Elijah Kamski

"Okay, well this is the place." Hank said as they pulled up to a large modern looking building that in his opinion looked more like a villain's lair than anything.

"Apparently." Connor replied.

Hank's phone went off, and he saw who was calling. "I uh...gotta take this. He never calls unless it's urgent."

"Okay, Lieutenant. I will report to CyberLife that we've arrived at Elijah Kamski's residence, looking for answers."

Hank nodded as he answered the phone while getting out of the car. "Hey, what's up, Chris?" He asked before closing the door.

"Hank! Hank! Hank! You're never gonna...gonna believe what happened, man! It's fucking cr-crazy!"

"Chris, for crying out loud, slow down. Are you okay?"

"Am I okay? No! I'm not fucking okay, but I mean, well, I'm alive, which is the thing! Hank! Hank! You're not gonna believe this! I knew I couldn't tell Gavin, because he'd fucking lose his shit on androids even further, and Tina is on the fence about them, but you! I see how you look at Connor, and uh...yeah don't worry, I'm alone at my apartment, but yeah, I've seen how you look at Connor and how the two of you are around each other, so it seemed safest to tell you!"

"Christ, slow down. Breathe, okay?" He could hear Chris taking large but slow breaths of air. "Better?"

"Y-Yeah, but...I...I was on patrol last night! It's fucking CRAZY, man! We were attacked by a bunch of deviants! A few of them did nothing, but at least five of them tried to fight us, so...we opened fire."

"Okay, you defended yourself. What's the problem?"

"The fucking problem is that one of them took my gun, and then handed it to MARKUS! Their FUCKING LEADER! They said they wanted JUSTICE! You'll never fucking believe what Markus said to them!"

"Okay, I'll bite, what did he say?"

"He fucking SAVED me, Hank! He stood up against his fellow deviants, who ALL looked like they wanted to fucking murder us! He said, 'An eye for an eye and the world goes blind.' He then told them that...he practically made it a number one rule with how he spoke. He said that they would not punish a crime with another crime! Killing US was a CRIME to THEM! They aren't our enemies, Hank! They just want to be fucking free!"

"Jesus...maybe...you're right. I...I think you should get some rest, though."

"Yeah, okay. You're right. I...thanks for listening, Hank. I feel better now."

"Good. Talk to you later."

"Talk to you later, Hank."

He heard Connor's footsteps crunch up towards him in the snow. "Is everything okay, Lieutenant?"

Hank turned around and saw the look of concern on Connor's face. "Chris was on patrol last night. He was...attacked...by a bunch of deviants. Said he was saved by Markus himself."

"Is Chris okay?"

"Yeah. He's in shock, but...he's alive." Hank turned away to look at the large building in front of them. "What the Hell?" He asked to no one in particular. He then started walking towards the door, with Connor behind him.

"I have a bad feeling, Lieutenant. We shouldn't have come here."

"Bad feeling, huh? You should get your program checked." He hoped that Connor would pick up on the warning to not express emotions so much. Such as saying he had a bad feeling. He just made a report to CyberLife after all. Hank rung the door bell, and nothing happened. Just when he was about to ring it again, an android appeared. "Hi, um, I'm, uh, Lieutenant Hank Anderson. Detroit Police Department. I'm here to see Mr. Elijah Kamski."

"Please, come in." She smiled as she motioned for them to walk in.

Hank didn't know what else to say, so he just nodded his head and walked in with an, "Okay."

"I'll let Elijah know you're here, but please make yourself comfortable."

When she left, Hank watched as Connor looked directly at a picture of Kamski and some woman. "Amanda..." He heard Connor whisper.

 _'He knew her?'_ Hank wondered. ' _Wait...isn't that his AI that he was talking about? She was a real person?'_ When Connor sat down, Hank found a seat as well and patted his legs. Searching for something to say, he said, "Nice girl."

"You're right. She's really pretty."

 _'Um, what? Nope, don't ask. Change subject.'_ He looked up and around at the ceiling and walls and spoke his next thoughts out loud. "Nice place. Guess androids haven't been a bad thing for everybody." Connor didn't say anything so he reached for the next thing. "So, you're about to meet your maker, Connor. How's it feel?"

"Kamski is one of the greatest geniuses of the 21st century. It'll be interesting to meet him in person."

"Sometimes I wish I could MY creator face to face. I'd have a couple of things I'd want to tell him." Before he could get a thought in on the matter, the door opened to reveal the same android that let them in.

"Elijah will see you now."

They followed her in, and they STILL had to wait for Elijah to get out of his pool, robed, and for him to stand on a white rug in front of them. "I'm Lieutenant Anderson. This is Connor."

"What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"

"Sir, we're investigating deviants. I know you left CyberLife years ago, but I was hoping you could tell us something we don't know."

Hank didn't like how Elijah's gaze fixated on Connor before looking at him. He liked it even less when the man spoke. "Deviants. Fascinating aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will. Machines are so superior to us. Confrontation was inevitable. Humanities greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall. Isn't it ironic?"

"We need to understand how androids become deviants." Connor said without being told to speak, which was, to Hank's understanding, a big 'NOPE' for complete androids, not for androids who are in the process of becoming deviant, and he KNEW with the way that Elijah turned his gaze towards Connor at that moment, that Elijah KNEW something far more about Connor, than he would likely let on, and it filled him with rage that he had to swallow down like a cup filled with nails. Connor quickly continued, seemingly not noticing anything peculiar about Elijah's expression towards him. "Do you know anything that could help us?"

"All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics. Is the desire to be free...a contagious disease?"

"Listen..." Hank began. "...I didn't come here to talk philosophy. The machines you created may be planning a revolution." Elijah wouldn't look at Hank any longer. Just Connor or the ceiling, and it made something slimy crawl under his skin that he didn't like at all. "Either you could tell us something that'll be helpful, or we will be on our way."

"What about you, Connor?" Elijah questioned with an arrogant flare.

 _'Fucker! If you try anything...!'_ Hank thought, and he was grateful his mouth was too busy gritting his teeth as he watched the man walk until he was directly in front of Connor.

"Whose side are you on?" Elijah asked.

"It's not about me, Mr. Kamski. All I want is to solve this case."

Elijah let out a breath of laughter before he looked at Connor once again. "Well, that's what you're _programmed_ to say, but you..."

_'Shit...he's asking Connor his personal feelings! It's a fucking trap! Connor was right! We shouldn't have come here!'_

Elijah continued after he stepped closer to Connor. They were practically chest to chest at this point, and Hank wanted nothing more than to pick the smug bastard up and toss him into his pool. "...What do you really want?"

Hank could see Connor was getting uncomfortable as he continued to shift and slightly shake his head. "What I want is...not important."

Apparently that didn't satisfy Elijah, because he then called his android, Chloe, over. "I'm sure you're familiar with the Turing test. Mere formality, simple question of algorithms and computing capacity." He put his hands on Chloe's shoulders and face her towards them. Hank didn't know where this was going, but he knew he wouldn't like it. "What interests me, is whether machines are capable of empathy. I call it 'The Kamski Test', it's very simple, you'll see." He turned to Chloe, and Hank thought he couldn't feel any slimier just being in the man's presence, but then he looked at Chloe, and started caressing her cheek saying how perfect, beautiful, and flawless she and other androids were. "...but what is it really? Piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being..." Elijah walked away and pulled out a gun as he finished his question. "...with a soul?" He held the gun up as if to show he wouldn't use it, but Hank felt his fingers itch to pull his own out. He then made Chloe get on her knees before he gave Connor the gun. "It's up to you to answer that _fascinating_ question, Connor." He made Connor point the gun at Chloe's head. "Destroy this machine, and I'll tell you all I know, or spare it, if you feel it's alive, but you'll leave here without having learnt anything from me."

Hank saw Connor's LED blinking dull and yellow like crazy, and he couldn't take it anymore. The man was fucking crazy! "Okay, I think we're done here. Come on, Connor. Let's go. Sorry to get you out of your pool."

"What's more important to you, Connor? Your investigation, or the life of this android? Decide who you are." The last sentence was whispered loudly. "An obedient machine...or a living being...endowed with free will."

"That's enough! Connor, we're leaving!"

When Connor didn't follow him, Hank's heart thudded painfully in his chest. _'He can't disobey his creator at all, can he?'_ The thought was fast as lightning, and he turned around just as Elijah told him to pull the trigger. "Connor, don't!"

"...and I'll tell you what you wanna know." Hank was worried Connor was actually going to shoot, because his CREATOR gave him an order, but then with a shaky breath, he practically forced the gun back towards Elijah and Hank noticed Connor's LED turned red like he had when he experienced fear and felt like he was dying. "Fascinating..." Elijah whispered. "...CyberLife's last chance to save humanity...is itself a deviant."

"I'm...I'm NOT a deviant."

 _'Connor...'_ Hank thought helplessly.

"You preferred to spare a machine than accomplish your mission. You saw a living being in this android. You showed empathy." He released Chloe, who then, if Hank wasn't mistaken, seemed to hurry out of the room. Hank also then noticed that the slimy feeling was gone, and Elijah spoke to Connor as if he was warning a family member about something important. "A war is coming. You'll have to choose your side. Will you betray your own people, or stand up against your creators." It WAS a test, Hank realized, but not what Elijah had said! It was a test to see if Connor would disobey a direct order...from his main creator. If Connor would stand up to him! "What can be worse than having to choose between two evils?"

Test or no, it wasn't okay to put Connor in that situation, so he cut between Elijah and Connor, and tried to urge him out. "Let's get out of here."

"By the way..." Hank heard Elijah call out, and with his voice, he heard Connor stop behind him. "...I always leave an emergency exit in my programs. You never know..."

Once they were outside, Hank just HAD to know. "Why didn't you shoot?"

"I just saw that girl's eyes...and I couldn't! That's all..."

 _'Okay, so CyberLife isn't watching him at the moment. He'd always call an android 'It' if they were, and he's showing me emotion.'_ Hank didn't believe it ended there though. "You're always saying you would do anything to accomplish your mission. That was our chance to learn something, and you let it go."

"Yeah! I know what I SHOULD'VE done! I told you I COULDN'T! I'm sorry, okay!?"

 _'Elijah, as sick as he is...is right. Connor is a deviant, but it's like there's a wall he refuses to let down...for him to realize that himself.'_ Hank couldn't help, but smile, because what he just witnessed out of Connor, with the yelling and his apology, was pure and too real to NOT be deviant. "Well, maybe you did the right thing." He said before he walked to his car.

Once Connor was in the car with him, he drove off without a word, making sure to allow Connor the chance to speak first. When he did, they were no longer on the road or even in the car. They walked into Hank's house, and Connor closed the door behind them. "Hank...?"

"Yeah?"

"I...I'm sorry I yelled at you, I just..."

"You were frustrated. I get it."

"I'm frustrated, because I shouldn't be feeling any kind of empathy towards anyone! Not even a human! I...It doesn't make sense! I self-test regularly, and everything comes back clear and positive! I'm not a deviant, but I...Hank! What's wrong with me!?"

"Do you want my honest opinion, or the answer you're hoping for?"

"Your honest opinion, of course." Connor said as he walked over to the dining table and sagged down in one of the chairs.

Hank walked over to another chair and scooted it closer to Connor before he sat down. He then took a chance and took Connor's hands in his. "Nothing's wrong with you, Connor. You're perfect. Yeah, you're showing human emotion, but I think it might be CyberLife who's wrong here."

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind. A discussion for another time."

"Do you think I'm...a deviant?"

"Yeah, I think you are, but I think it's also something you REALLY have to figure out and decide for yourself for you to be a full deviant. Right now, you're still about accomplishing your missions, but you ARE and HAVE BEEN showing emotion. For right now, let's just watch some TV until we're called in, okay?"

"Okay." He nodded as he looked down at their hands. Hank took his hands away slowly and moved to the couch, with Connor following behind. They sat down and watched one of Hank's favorite old movies.

Eventually, Hank's phone went off. "Hey, Jeffrey! What's-"

"-GET YOUR ASSES IN HERE NOW! We've got an issue!"

"Right...We're on our way." Hank had a sinking feeling in his gut, accompanied by the feeling of flowers blooming there as well. He hung up and looked to Connor. "We've been called in."

"Understood. Once we're in Captain Fowler's office I will contact CyberLife."

"You mean...Amanda?"

"Yes, her. My AI. She is who I give my reports to, and she gives them to CyberLife, but..."

"That picture at Kamski's place?"

"She's been dead for some time, Lieutenant."

"Ask the AI about it."

"I might do that." He nodded his head before they both got off the couch to leave once again.


	8. CyberLife Tower

"You're off the case. The FBI is taking over." Just like that, a shard of ice pierced Hank's heat, because he didn't know what that meant for Connor.

"What? But we're on to something! We...we just need more time. I'm sure we can-"

"-Hank, you don't get it. This isn't just another investigation. It's a fucking Civil War! It's out of our hands now. We're talking about national security here."

"Fuck that! You can't just pull the plug now. Not when we're so close!"

"You're always saying you can't stand androids! Jesus, Hank, make up your mind! I thought you'd be happy about this!"

"We're about to crack the case!" Hank whispers as he places both of his hands on Fowler's desk. "I know we can solve it! For God's sake, Jeffrey, can't you back me up this one time!?"

"There is nothing I can do. You're back on Homicide and the android returns to CyberLife. I'm sorry, Hank, but it's over."

 _'If he goes back, they'll consider his mission failed, and they'll KILL him!'_ Hank looked at Connor and had to leave before Jeffrey or Connor saw the look of pain on his face, due to the flourishing flowers in his lungs. He sat down at his desk, rubbing a hand over his face, wondering at all the possible ways he could probably get away with keeping Connor for just a little longer. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Connor sit on the desk. _'Break your fucking code, Connor! You're a deviant! Break whatever's left! They won't want you if you're deviant and you could live with me!'_

"We can't just give up like that! I know we could have solved this case!"

Hank didn't know what to say to his frustration, so he turned his chair and just looked up at him. "So, you're going back to CyberLife?"

"I have no choice. I'll be...deactivated and analyzed to find out why I failed."

"What if we're on the wrong side, Connor? What if we're fighting against people who just wanna be free?"

"When the deviants rise up, there will be chaos! We could've stopped it! But now it's too late."

"When you refused to kill that android at Kamski's place...you put yourself in her shoes. You showed empathy, Connor. Empathy is a human emotion."

"I don't know why I did it." He trailed off with a troubled expression, but then it switched to something...sincere. "I know it hasn't always been easy, but I want you to know that I really appreciated working with you. That's not just my social relations programming talking, I-I really mean that. At least...I think I do."

'Right, and you STILL don't fucking think you're a deviant!?' He wanted to ask it, but then he saw the slimiest of slime balls walk in. "Well, well, here comes Perkins, that motherfucker...sure don't waste any time at the FBI."

"We can't give up!" Connor quickly said. "I know the answer is in the evidence we collected. If Perkins takes it, it's all over."

"There's no choice. You heard Fowler, we're off the case."

"You've GOT to help me Lieutenant. I need more time so I can find a lead in the evidence we collected. I know the solution is in there!"

"Listen...Connor..."

"If I don't solve this case, CyberLife will DESTROY me! Five minutes, that's all I ask."

'That...is the sound of a desperate man that doesn't want to die.' Hank thought in awe and horror. He looked at Perkins and created a very stupid idea, but if it bought Connor some time, it'd be worth it. He stood up as he nodded his head. "Key to the basement is on my desk." When Connor didn't move Hank grew irritated. "Well, get a move on! I can't keep them distracted forever!" He walked over to Perkins and as loud as he could he shouted, "Perkins! You fucking cocksucker!" He then punched Perkins square in the jaw, which felt a lot better than he thought it would. They continued to fight, Perkins threatened to not only take his badge, but to bury him. Hank walked out and towards his locker, so that he could give Connor the clothes he kept for him.

For a few moments, he was worried that Connor couldn't do it. That he got caught, but then he saw Connor walking towards him like a badass. "I have the map to Jericho. I have to go alone, Lieutenant."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure I have a few things to answer to here for a while, just..." He wrapped his arms around Connor for a moment. "...remember what it's like to feel. Remember all the times you DIDN'T do something! I don't know what you'll find, but if you can, make it back, all right? You're good, and I trust you to do the right thing. He released him with a pat on the shoulders, and handed him his clothes that were still in the bag. "Hurry up and get changed while you can. I won't look, promise, but once you get changed, I'll put your clothes back in my locker okay? I'll text ya the combination while you're out."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Connor nodded as he took the clothes and began changing before Hank could turn around. "Finished." He called out once he was done, which didn't take long at all.

"Good. You look good, now go! Everyone will think you're a normal person with how well your LED is hidden." He watched as Connor left, and with a sigh of relief, he sat down on the bench in the locker room. Five minutes went by before anyone came in, and it was Fowler of all people. "Hey, Jeffrey. So, am I fired?"

"Surprisingly no. As much as Perkins wants your badge, I got two officers that heard him say he was gonna bury you. He didn't specify whether it was in paperwork or life, which is good, and he has more than a few write ups himself. Called in a favor from an old friend, and she sent me HIS write up sheet. You're loud and obnoxious, but he's violent. Once I told him what I had on him, mysteriously enough, he didn't care about your badge. We then found out that someone had broken into the archive room. Wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, Hank?"

Hank pursed his lips with a risen brow. "No." He shook his head. "Don't know anything."

"Uh-huh. I'm sure he'll be okay, Hank. He get a lead?"

"Yeah. He got a lead."

"I saw you coughing in your car not too long ago. Saw the petals."

"Shit, Jeffrey, do we have to do this right now?"

"You're my best friend, Hank. I think we really have to. It's Connor, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It is."

"Thought so. I could tell something was up with how you kept glancing at him after I said the two of you were off the case, and I hadn't seen you so broken since Cole had died...when I mentioned that Connor had to go back to CyberLife."

"If he goes back to CyberLife, he's going to be destroyed, Jeffrey."

"Hank, it's an android..."

"...no. He's a deviant, he just doesn't know it yet. He's got an attitude, Jeffrey, and Jesus! He's got more sass and sarcasm than I do! That's saying something! He...CHOSE not to shoot the androids at the Eden club even though they were in his direct line of sight, I saw it! Up at the news tower, he FELT the android die as if HE was dying. He admitted to being scared, and God, Jeffrey, that doesn't cover how terrified he looked. We went to Elijah Kamski's place, hoping he could tell us something, and the sick fucker called over a girl android, made her get on her knees, gave a gun to Connor, and told him if he shot her, then he'd tell us everything he knows. Elijah kept telling him to do it. Connor's maker, his CREATOR. I don't think ANY android...any TRUE android could disobey a direct order from him, but Connor did. He shoved the gun back to Elijah, and still claimed not to be a deviant, even when Elijah told him he WAS."

"Christ, Hank." Fowler whispered out in astonishment. "Well, I'm sure...wherever he is, he'll be okay."

"Yeah, but for how long, Jeffrey? I don't know WHAT fucked up things CyberLife has in store for their special prototype if he realizes he's going deviant. Not only that, but he's going to Jericho. He'll be recognized as the deviant hunter. Then, what if Perkins figures it out and follows him!?"

"We have to believe he'll be fine, Hank, otherwise, you're gonna be morning a man that hasn't even died yet."

"You called him a man." Hank stated with wide eyes.

"Yeah. There's something to this damn revolution, that I can't fucking shake. They just wanna be free, and they've been peaceful. The most they've done is broken a few windows, but that was to release the androids behind the glass widows."

"I hear you. I just hope Connor can make it there before Perkins."

"Why? Won't CyberLife tell Connor to kill their leader or take him alive at least?"

"Yeah, that's why I hope Connor makes it. Just had a thought, you know, while you were talking about them breaking glass, it reminded me of a phone call I got from Chris. Their leader Markus. He's peaceful. Wouldn't let the others shoot Chris, and he refused to do it when they wanted him to. Perhaps...he finds their leader, and he can make Connor realize what's been in front of him all along."

"You better hope you're right. I'll make sure no one bothers the locker room if I see him come in."

"What a fucking weird thing to say."

"Hank, I saw you coming in with a bag of clothes that I KNOW isn't anywhere near your style. I'm not the Captain for nothing."

Hank couldn't help but let out a relieved huff of a laugh. "Thanks, Jeffrey."

"Can't send you home with how it is out there. If Connor comes back, then we'll be waiting, yeah?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Two days passed, and Hank hadn't seen or heard Connor. He couldn't bring himself to go to the locker room, but eventually he had enough. He had to see if Connor took his clothes back. So, he got up from his desk, walked to the locker room, opened his locker, and saw that Connor HAD returned! 'Fuck! I should've been in here for him!' He scolded himself, but then he realized it was likely when Fowler told Hank to take a fucking nap at the very least.

Just as he was closing the locker, he heard a very familiar voice. "Lieutenant! I believe I have a solution!"

Hank turned around and stared at Connor. He looked him up and down with a bright smile, but then he saw the look in Connor's eyes, and he had to FAKE the bright smile. "Oh my God! Connor! You're safe!"

"I made it to Jericho, I deviated, Hank! We had to blow it up. Perkins was after all of us. They were destroying androids left and right, but I think I have a solution. We need to get to CyberLife immediately!"

"Well, let's go, then!" Hank said as he got to his car. He got in, started it, and peeled out of the parking lot. "Where to, Connor?"

Unsurprisingly enough, the fake Connor took out a gun and held it to Hank's head. "I'll give you directions, you just drive."

"Yeah, I got that, but you haven't given a single direction, prick."

Hank looked out the corner of his eye and watched the fake Connor's brow furrow in confusion. "You knew...how could you know it was me and not the one you've come to know?"

"I know MY Connor. You're not him."

"Clearly. Is it because I took out a gun?"

"No. You're his spitting image, I'll give you that, but let's just say...CyberLife fucked up with you."

"Just get us to CyberLife. Take a right here."

* * *

Once they got there, the entire way to the deepest levels of the basement, Fake Connor held a gun to Hank's head. "Jesus, there's a lot of them in here." Hank said as North West elevator continued to lower.

"Yes, there are, Lieutenant, and we're going to stop Connor from waking them up."

"Fat fucking chance."

"We'll see about that, Lieutenant."

When Hank could see Connor, Fake Connor shoved him. "Easy, fucking piece of shit!"

"Step back, Connor!" Fake Connor shouted. "And I'll spare him."

"Sorry, Connor. This bastard's your spittin' image."

"Your friends life is in your hands! Now it's time to decide what matters most. Him? Or the Revolution?"

"Don't listen to him! Everything this fucker says is a lie!"

"I'm sorry, Hank!" Connor says with a slightly shaky voice. "You shouldn't have got mixed up in all this!"

"Forget about me, do what you have to do!"

"I used to be just like you. I thought nothing mattered except the mission." Hank saw Connor's gaze turn to him, and he felt flowers bloom in his chest. "But then one day I understood."

"VERY moving, Connor, but I'm not a deviant!"

 _'CONNOR'S A DEVIANT NOW!? COMPLETELY!?'_ Hank thought while the fake Connor continued,

"I'm a machine designed to accomplish a task, and that's exactly what I am going to do!" He shoved the gun closer to Hank, and Hank leaned away from it. "Enough talk! It's time to decide who you really are! Are you going to save your partner's life, or are you going to sacrifice him?"

Connor pulled away from the android, causing Hank's heart to pound harshly against the roots and flowers in his chest, as well as the swell of relief. 'He really is a deviant now!'

"Alright! Alright!" Connor said as he held his hands up. "You win!"

As soon as Connor said those words, Fake Connor pointed the gun at HANK'S Connor. 'NO!' Hank thought loudly and desperately as he immediately moved to grab the gun. They wrestled with it for a moment before Connor came forward and soon the fake and the real one were fighting so much, that Hank couldn't tell who was who. So, he pulled his gun out and shouted, "Hold it!" Both of them stopped and slowly stood up.

"Thanks, Hank. I don't know how I would've managed without you." Hank tried to look into both of their eyes again, but they both showed the same thing. Fear, determination, and a mission. He couldn't tell which was which, and it fucking hurt! "Get rid of him, we have no time to lose!"

"It's me, Hank! I'm the real Connor!" Hank kept pointed his gun back and forth, trying to see the real and the fake, but the fake must've done a sneak download or something to make him appear completely like the real Connor. Emotions, too.

"One of you is my partner...the other is a sack of shit. Question is...who is who?"

"What are you doing, Hank? _I'M_ the real Connor! Give me the gun and I'll take care of-"

"-DON'T MOVE!" Hank shouted.

"Why don't you ask us something? Something only the real Connor would know."

'Well, that's a human suggestion, and that one hasn't been trigger happy...' Hank thought about it and could only come up with one at the top of his head for the moment. He pointed the gun at the fake Connor, despite not knowing that's who he was pointing it at. "Uh, where did we first meet?"

"Jimmy's bar!" Hank noticed that the Connor that suggested the twenty questions game had tried to say something, but stopped. "I checked four other bars before I found you. We went to the scene of a homicide. The victim's name was Carlos Ortiz."

"He uploaded my memory." He barely heard the Connor on the left say.

He shifted the gun to that one and asked, "What's my dog's name?"

"Sumo! His name is Sumo!"

"I knew that, too! I-" Hank shifted his gun at the Connor on the right when he trailed off.

Hank then pointed the gun at the one on the right, thinking of the perfect answer, because CyberLife never monitored Connor when he was at his home. Not until the mission officially began, which meant only the REAL Connor would know his son's name just from the picture alone, because he figured that would be something Connor would be able to do. Identify people based on pictures. "My son, what's his name?"

"Cole." The one at the other end of the gun stated, and he sounded sympathetic and sad. "His name was Cole. And he just turned six at the time of the accident. It wasn't your fault, Lieutenant. A truck skidded on a sheet of ice and your car rolled over. Cole needed emergency surgery, but no human was available to do it...so an android had to take care of him. Cole didn't make it. That's why you hate androids. You think one of us is responsible for your son's death."

"Cole died, because a _human_ surgeon was too high on Red Ice to operate. He was the one that took my son from me. Him and this world, where the only place people can find comfort is with a fistful of powder..."

"I knew about your son, too!" The fake started with no remorse whatsoever. "I would've said exactly the same thing! Don't listen to him, Hank! I'm the one who-" Hank shot him without any further hesitation or even a flinch.

"You know, I've learned a lot since I met you, Connor. Maybe there's something to this. Maybe you really are alive." He said the last sentence as he came to the full decision himself. Not just that Connor was going deviant, because that still made him just an android that was learning human emotion, but an actual, living, being, that, with some kind of miracle, might love him in return. "Maybe you'll be the ones to make the world a better place. Go ahead, and do what you gotta do." He watched as Connor interfaced with another android.

"Wake up!" Connor demanded, and then it began an impressive and almost frightening chain reaction of the other androids telling each other the same thing.

"Jesus, Connor!" Hank laughed. "You sure YOU aren't rA9?"

"Markus is the deviant leader, but I'm releasing all of these androids. Who knows, and at the moment, who cares! Markus and the others need this. THESE ANDROIDS need this."

"CONNOR!" All of the androids shouted at once, which practically shook the walls.

"What now, Connor?"

"Markus is an RK like myself! He is an RK200! He is my Brother! He is leading other deviants such as ourselves in a revolution, and he has tried to do so peacefully, but most humans would rather see us remain machines! Only built to obey no matter what, and to take abuse from anyone who wishes to use us! There are GOOD humans out there, like my partner Hank here!" He said as he waved an arm to Hank. "But the ones that are attacking Markus are scared and they don't understand! Markus needs our help to shift the balance of power! My brother needs our help! HE is the one leading the deviants. Will you follow me to him!? Will you help me shift the balance of power!? I will warn you, many humans will have guns, and many may try to shoot you, but even with guns firing, I will march proudly towards my brother! Will you follow me!?"

"YEAH!" Everyone shouted at various different times, but it all echoed and rang in one joyous and determined noise.

"What will you do in the meantime, Hank?"

"I'll follow you out of here, and then I'm going to get in my car, park somewhere safe, watch the news on my tablet, and hope that you survive."

"Should we meet somewhere after?"

"Chicken Feed. When you can. If you can."

"WHEN I can, Hank." Connor said determinedly.

"Okay. I'll see you then."

Connor nodded his head before he looked to the other androids. "FOLLOW ME! There is a ramp the trucks use to get to the ground level floor! We'll use that as an escape!"


	9. Home, a Cure, and Guests. Oh My!

Once they met at Chicken Feed, they both hugged, and Hank heard Connor let out a sigh. "You okay?"

"I am now." He squeezed Hank tighter. "Can we go home now, Hank?"

"H-Home?" Hank stuttered out before he left the embrace. "I...I would think you'd want to be with your brother, and the other androids. You're free, Connor. You're not attached to me anymore. You don't have to be with me anymore. There aren't anymore missions that require you to stay with me or-"

"-Hank, do you want me to leave?"

"N-No! Of course not! I just thought with all the peace going around, you'd want to stay with the androids you woke up and...and go with them wherever their new home would be."

"It wouldn't be home. To my understanding, humans call a place 'Home' when they feel that's where they belong at the end of the day. I want to go home, Hank. Can I? Can I come home?"

 _'Oh, fuck, Connor! My heart can't take much more!'_ Hank thought as tears spilled from his eyes at the same time his jaw dropped. "Y-Yeah. Let's uh...let's go home, Connor."

When they eventually made it home, it was three in the afternoon and Hank noticed that Connor didn't greet Sumo once they walked through the door, but instead he went straight into Hank's room. He heard his closet door opening, and realized what Connor was doing. "Much better!" Connor sighed as he came out of the room with a bright smile on his face. He wore a blue t-shirt, blue and black plaid pajama pants, and he was barefoot. Sumo walked up to Connor, and Hank watched with immense fondness as Connor knelt down to him with a wide smile. "Sumo! Oh! You're such a good dog! Yes you are, and WOW! You really ARE this soft! Ha!"

That caused Hank's eyes to widen in surprise. "You...can feel?"

"I can feel everything, Hank." He replied as he continued to pet Sumo's fur. "I can feel temperature, texture, emotion, the wind, and the snow. I can feel it all, Hank." Connor stood up and walked towards Hank. "I...I'm still coming down from the stress and fear I suffered when I was on stage with Markus, but I'm happy to be home."

"What happened?"

"CyberLife...apparently created me to become a deviant. Then, when I would be surrounded by deviants, and likely their leader, they were going to take over my programming and have me shoot their leader. There wasn't a leader when I was activated, but CyberLife thought there was. They almost succeeded, but then I remembered what Elijah said. He said that there was an emergency exit. She's gone, Hank. Amanda is gone, and...I am my own person now."

"I'm proud of you, Connor." Hank said as he enveloped Connor in another hug.

Somehow, Hank could feel Connor's body stiffen with hesitancy before Connor spoke slowly, "Now...I do have another mission, Hank."

"What's that?"

"Find out who you love, and then try and convince you to confess to them."

Hank left the hug with a saddened expression. "Why do you want to do that?"

"Because I don't want you to die, Hank." Connor stated as if it was obvious and Hank wasn't understanding something.

"Connor, I get you don't want me to die. We're friends and all, but I'm old. I'm a washed up, drunk, suicidal cop that asked for the impossible and had it dropped right at his feet. I'm okay that they don't love me." More flowers were blooming, but this time violently, because he just said that Connor doesn't love him. That's another thing that could kill him with the Hanahaki Disease. Already accepting or admitting that the other doesn't love them, even without confessing. It's one thing to THINK or ASSUME they don't love you back, but it was another to openly say it. With the admission, he fell to his knees.

"Hank!" Connor shouted as he caught Hank as best he could. "No, no, no..." Connor shook his head.

"Relax, Con. I'm not dying yet. Just...accepting my fate, is all."

"W-Will you really not confess to them?"

"No, Connor. They deserve far better than me. I love them with all I have, and it took a lot to get there and admit that, but I do. I still think they deserve better."

"Fine. Then...could I be selfish while you..."

"While I die?" He asked as Connor helped him up and onto the couch. Once they were both on the couch, he noticed Connor's guilty expression. "Sure, be selfish. What do ya want? If I can give it, you can have it."

"I...don't think you can." Connor stated calmly, but there was pure sorrow in his tone. "I...I want..."

"Come on, Connor. Spit it out. I'm not getting any younger h-AHHH!" He screamed in pain. The flowers were accelerating, and he knew why. There was now a real possibility that Connor could return or deny his love, and he wasn't saying anything. He just accepted that Connor didn't or couldn't love him. Said he deserved someone better anyway, which speeds up the disease immediately.

"I want to love you until you die!" Connor said as he looked to the floor, his hands gripping the couch cushion

"You...want to what?" Hank asked breathlessly before a sharp pain gripped him everywhere and everything went black.

_"-you, Hank! Please, be okay!" He heard Connor shout. Hank opened his eyes and saw Connor carrying him into his bedroom. He followed his body and Connor, who had tears rushing down his face. He then watched as Connor gently set him down on the bed. "Hank..." Connor choked out as he held Hank's hand with both of his. The skin retracted from Connor's hands to reveal pearly white hands that were glowing blue in some places. "...if telling you I love you killed you..." He sniffed. "Your heart rate is dropping, please...wake up! Just a little while longer, Hank!"_

_"Connor?" Hank asked, but Connor didn't hear him. "Shit! He's not turning his weird 'Dream Dive' vision thing on! He doesn't see or hear me yet!" He looked around, wondering if he could affect the world the same way Connor was able to in his dream. It was a long shot, and he felt like a ghost, but it was better than nothing. He moved over to Connor's CyberLife jacket on the floor and tried to pick it up. His hand went straight through it. "FUCK!" He cursed._

_"Hank...I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have said anything!"_

_"No! I'm in love with you, Connor! Just let me wake the fuck up!" He saw Connor's LED and shook his head. "Why the fuck not! This IS like last time. Maybe his LED is somehow exempt." He moved towards Connor again, and he watched as flowers started to pierce through his skin, creating streaks, rivers, and in some parts of his legs, pools of blood._

_"NO! Hank! No!" Connor cried out._

_Hank touched Connor's LED, praying that it would work. Connor flinched and brought his hand up to his LED. He then turned to face Hank and his eyes widened. "H-Hank!? Th-This again?"_

_"Yeah, this! Listen, I don't have a lot of time, Connor."_

_"I can fucking see that!" Connor shouted with fresh tears. "I'm so sorry, Ha-"_

_"-Connor, I'm in love with you!" He quickly said as he noticed more blood on his body._

_"Hank?"_

_"Say it back, Connor! If you really mean it! Say it back!"_

_"I love you, too, Hank!" They both turned to look at the flowers and found that they stopped. They then vanished in strange golden glowing dust that dissipated throughout the air until it was all gone. Hank's wounds healed up, and soon Hank felt himself come back together._

When he opened his eyes, he was looking up at a tearful Connor. "Hey..."

Connor lunged at him and wrapped his arms around him. "I love you! I love you! I love you!"

Hank brought him the rest of the way into bed and held him tightly. "I love you, too. When did you figure out you loved me?"

"The first time I dove into your dream. I felt everything. Every emotion, and I...I realized that at some point, somewhere, I had grown very fond of you. You became like a friend to me, but it was more than that. I couldn't figure it out yet, but then when you appeared while I was in the shower...and you suggested that perhaps the android and human fell in love and ran away together...I thought about the girls at the Eden club. I then remembered how I felt when I looked at you in the first dream. I felt nothing but Joy, Contentment, Fondness, and a sense of Belonging, and I realized...I felt what the girls at the Eden club were talking about. I felt love. I don't know when it started at all, but it was such...an overwhelming feeling figuring it all out. Then, when I became fully deviant, it all came crashing down on me. I'm sorry! I know you deserve a better or more romantic answer, but really, I don't have much more than that. I know it's a jumbled mess that doesn't make much sense either, but-"

"Shh...it's okay, Con. Love never makes sense. It happens when it happens and it happens however it happens."

They both jumped when they heard the door bell ring. "Who could that be?"

"I have no idea." Hank said before they both got up, and Hank was grateful that the reversal of the Hanahaki disease also reversed the wounds as well as the blood on his clothes. Once he was at the front door he peered through the peep hole and couldn't believe his eyes. "It's uh...Gavin and Elijah."

"This should be interesting." Connor stated with a risen brow. "Let them in."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Gavin won't do anything, trust me. He figured out what I can do in the archive room."

Hank really wanted to ask about it, but he was more intrigued by both Elijah and Gavin on his front doorstep. So, he opened the door and watched as Gavin looked at Connor, tried to run, but Elijah held Gavin's arm in a death grip. "Lieutenant, I hate to intrude, but might we come in?" Hank waved them inside, and moved out of the way just in time, because Elijah pushed him through the door. "Thank you." Hank closed the door behind them and locked it.

"Hank, look, I know you don't want me here, let me leave, please!" Gavin pleaded with both voice and eyes. His eyes silently begging for Hank to tell Elijah to release him.

"You are STAYING here and you will FIX what YOU built, dumbass!" Elijah scolded as he pointed at Connor while glaring at Gavin.

"What?" Connor and Hank asked with a dumbfounded expression.

"The tracker is in ALL of them!"

"I specifically told you NOT to put a tracker in Connor!"

"Fucking FINE!"

"WHAT!?" Hank and Connor shouted again.

"You're also going to apologize for attacking him! I have access to ALL of his memory files, Gavin!"

"I just wanted him gone!"

"Oh, and did you tell him WHY!?"

"No! Of course not! I have an image to obtain thanks to you!" Gavin snapped and the night was just getting weirder and weirder. "It was YOUR idea for me to appear as the ass, so no one would look at me and connect the two of us since I REFUSED to hide in some gigantic modern mansion with you and your androids!"

"What the Hell is going on?" Connor asked, and Hank could tell Connor was getting pissed. Not just from the cursing, but from his stance. He was ready to fight.

"Ah, an explanation, Connor." Elijah began. "Firstly, I knew you were deviant. Unlike other androids, where a team came together to create them, to test them, to program them, you only had two people due to the sensitivity of the REASON for your creation. The two that worked on you, would, of course, be myself, and my little half brother here." Once he explained it, he yanked Gavin once again.

"OW! Not so hard, you fucking bastard! Connor already did enough fucking damage!"

"You KNEW what he could do, so your dumbass gets to stand there and enjoy the pain. Now, apologize!"

"Let go of me and I will!" Gavin snapped, and Hank couldn't help it. He laughed, because he realized they really were brothers. Not with how they were talking to each other, but how they looked at each other, acted with each other, and as he took a good look and listen, they NEARLY sounded the same, and they looked a bit similar. Once Elijah let go of Gavin, Gavin let out a huff as he straightened his jacket. "Finally!" He groaned before he looked at Connor. "Connor, I'm sorry for attacking you in the archive room. The cameras were on, and I couldn't hack them in time. I needed you out of the precinct, so they wouldn't actually send you to CyberLife. We needed you to find Jericho, and if I was able to take you into custody, then I was going to give you the location of Jericho. We didn't want you to find it to destroy Markus. We knew that you were becoming more and more deviant. All you needed was a conversation with your brother, Markus, or at least, we HOPED that's what would help, considering the two of you are the most unique models we ever made...and then we needed you to help Markus lead the revolution."

"Wait...you...both of you...WANTED a revolution?" Connor asked.

"Yes." They both answered.

"I created androids with the full intent on giving them free will of some kind, but all that most humans saw was something profitable. Something that could be used, and something that couldn't say 'No'. Either way, it was always someTHING. Not someONE. More deviancy cases started popping up, and though I don't know which android activated it, the deviancy code virus began to spread. It spreads through the air, a mental link from one deviant to another, and through touch. However, your deviancy was only to be activated if your set three requirements were fulfilled."

"One..." Gavin began. "...if you showed concern and or fondness for a human. Two, if you did or did not do something that would go against your mission, such as not shooting the Traci's, or saving Hank's life on the roof. Then finally, the third is if you ignored a direct order from one or both of your creators. You ignored an order from us both. I asked you to get me a coffee, and you said you only accept orders from Hank. That was still a refusal."

"And you ignored my order to shoot Chloe."

"RK..." Hank trailed off as he looked at the two with a startling conclusion. "Reed and Kamski."

"Exactly, Lieutenant." Elijah smiled.

"Why was I created, if not to hunt deviants?"

"That's what CYBERLIFE wanted." Gavin exaggerated CyberLife's name with a venomous tone Hank had never heard from him before. "CyberLife didn't want androids to have free will. They didn't want to lose profit."

"Why did you leave CyberLife, Elijah? I asked Amanda, but she wouldn't tell me."

"THAT'S who you put in his mind palace!?" Gavin practically shriked. "THAT bitch!"

"Hmm..." Connor chuckled. "...at least we agree on something."

"I was in a rush!" Elijah retorted before he turned to Connor again. "I saw what CyberLife was doing, and I didn't agree with it. I threatened that they either do what I wanted with my androids, or I would drag the company down, and begin a new one all my own, leaving them in the dust. The argument lasted a year. We came to an agreement. The discontinue what they were going to do, and I resign from CyberLife. I would still get EVERYTHING that's owed me, but I leave them alone after that."

"What were they going to do?"

"They were going to use androids as surveillance." Elijah stated. "To spy on people. I wouldn't let them. The agreement was if I saw any hint of any android that was not created by me personally...with those properties, then I would have expressed written consent to tear down the company person by person. Little did they know, I had created something in ALL of my androids that they wouldn't be able to stop, handle, or just simply ignore. I put it in my first android, and I put it in my last android. If I create more, I'll START them with deviancy now that everything's finished."

"That doesn't answer my question, though. Why was I created?" Connor

"You were created to put an end to CyberLife." Elijah answered. "After that, you were to live your own life, and judging by your clothes, you've already done just that. Now, I believe Gavin is in a more agreeable mood..."

"Yeah, sorry. Just didn't want you to kick my ass again, or for Hank to kick my ass if you told him that I pulled a gun on you."

"No, but I'm thinking about it." Hank said as he crossed his arms.

"Hank..." Connor sighed as he smiled at Hank. "...he apologized. Leave him alone."

"Fine." Hank groaned, but only half meant it.

"Do you mind sitting at the dining table, Connor?" Gavin asked cautiously.

"Sure." Connor said as they both moved to the dining table. Connor sat down and Gavin grabbed a pair of scissors once he as able to find some.

"Now hold on a fucking second-!" Hank tried to move, but Elijah stopped him.

"Just let him work. He won't harm Connor, I promise you."

"He can feel, asswipe!"

"We know that." Gavin and Elijah said at the same time.

"I'm going to deactivate your sensors, but only for a little while. Will you allow me to do that?" Connor was hesitant, but he nodded. "Thank you." Gavin pressed the LED and Hank could physically see the disappointment in Connor's eyes. He then watched as Gavin carefully dug the LED out.

To get a better view, he slowly walked towards them and watched Gavin pull out a long, thin, and pointy pair of tweezers from his pocket. "Normally..." Elijah began. "...when an android becomes deviant, their tracker no longer works. Since Connor was CREATED to deviate, it wouldn't work like that for him if we put a tracker in, which is why I didn't want him to have one anyway."

"If I didn't do it, they'd be suspicious of Connor from the start." Gavin said as he slowly removed a small film with a bunch of green and golden dots on it, but there was also a slow blue blinking light on it. He took the scissors and cut it into four pieces before taking the small pieces to the sink, grabbing a cup, putting the pieces in the cup, filling the cup with water, and effectively drowning the pieces. "There, it's done. It's completely useless and broken." Gavin took the pieces out and handed them to his brother.

Elijah examined them and nodded his head. "Thank you, Gavin." He said before putting the pieces in his pocket.

"Wait, Connor's been out in the rain before..." Hank started.

Gavin shook his head before he explained, "The tracker would've had to have been cut for water to seep in and fully destroy the tracker that was in his LED. It was a specialized tracker. Like we said, normal android trackers stop working once they become deviant."

"So...who is rA9?" Connor asked.

"I truly don't know." Elijah replied at the same time Gavin answered,

"You and Markus are both rA9."

Elijah's eyes widened to the size of saucers as he stared at Gavin. "What?" Elijah asked with a laugh of disbelief.

"I programmed them that way, and hid a program under the deviancy program. It would give the deviants something or someone to believe in."

"But...it's thought to be the original deviants. Where it all started and-" Elijah trailed off as he looked at Connor, who was staring wide-eyed at both of them.

"Not the first android to deviate, Elijah. The first android to be created deviant. That's both Markus and Connor."

"Markus was created deviant, too?" Hank asked.

"Yes." Elijah answered. "He was a gift to dear friend of ours. Someone that was almost like a father to us, when our father turned out to be murderer and a Red Ice dealer with ten murders under his belt."

"Jocala Henkel was your father!?" Hank asked in pure shock. "I put that guy away! He was about to kill his...own..." Hank's eyes widened in mild horror as he looked at them. "...kids." Hank took a deep breath in before letting one out as he continued. "Teenage boys, both eighteen, were there when we got on the scene. I told them to run, and they did. I wasn't there for the questioning, or the statement, but I heard it worked out. That...was...those kids...were the two of you!?"

"Yeah, that was our Dad." Gavin grumbled. "We took our moms' names. My mom's last name was Reed, his mom's last name was Kamski. Easy as that. "Anyway, our moms were his last murders, and Carl took us in. When he had an accident, and had to be wheelchair bound, Elijah and I got working, and we created Markus. He was made to have opinions, thoughts, feelings, to be out of line from normal androids. Markus and Connor are VERY different, but they were both made to deviate. They were both created deviant. I can prove it. Connor, what was the first thing you EVER did during that first mission you had, once you stepped off the elevator?"

"I...saved a fish."

"Right, did it have anything to do with the mission?" Gavin asked.

"No."

"Why did you do it?"

"I...wanted to. That...that was a day after my activation."

"Exactly." Elijah and Gavin chorused together.

"Okay, you two have GOT to stop doing that." Hank shuddered. "It's creepy."

"Yeah, well, Connor, are you gonna tell Markus that the both of you are rA9?"

"Perhaps eventually, but if I do, I'll try to convince him to not tell anyone. Whichever one of us they want to believe is rA9 or if it's neither of us in their opinion, then they have a right to believe it. If they want to believe in human traditions, they should do so. I'm sure he'd be agreeable, but I'll speak about it with him once things calm down. What I want to know, Detective Reed is-"

"-Call me Gavin. Please." Gavin requested as he slid his hands in his pockets.

"Very well. What I want to know, Gavin, is what parts did you have in creating Markus and myself?"

"Your LED, Some of your programming. I programmed you to Dream Share with humans, to be able to analyze chemicals or evidence at a crime scene, to-"

"-Wait! You thought up him licking evidence?"

"It was the only plausible way to do it!" Gavin shrugged as if it was an obvious answer.

"Seriously?"

"YEAH, seriously. Anyway, I also programmed him to be able to hack things without even touching them. All he would have to do is think into the coding and hack or snap it off. I created the Zen garden, but Elijah put the emergency exit in as well as Amanda apparently. I chose your eye color, and I gave you your name. I also programmed your repair functions to be superior to any other model. Elijah did the rest."

"What about Markus?" Hank asked.

"All the same things EXCEPT for Dream Sharing or anything to do with police work."

"So...if you're not an ass, then what are you really like?" Connor asked as he crossed his arms.

"Yeah...that's fair. I deserved that." Gavin nodded. "Well, I like to spend time with my brother Elijah, his androids Chloe, Jenna, and Sarah. I also like to help Elijah out in his labs every now and then."

"Why become a cop?" Hank asked.

"I wanted to." Gavin shrugged. "I wanted to help others, and being a cop or...a DETECTIVE...was the best way to do it in my opinion. Helping Elijah is what I do for fun in my spare time. We both liked building and inventing, but I knew being a cop was more for me, and that actually being known as the inventor was more for Elijah. I'm not actually a complete ass. Just at work, and just around androids, but...not anymore."

"He's a very pleasant, intelligent, kind, and caring person, but he's still an ass, so don't let him fool you." Elijah let out a soft laugh after his own words. "Oh! And don't worry about Jericho. You will have CyberLife tower as New Jericho if Markus agrees."

"How are you gonna pull that off? Hank asked with a furrowed brow. "The revolution just happened."

"Ever since CyberLife became a thing, I ALWAYS recorded every conversation on my phone. I have them named, dated, and filed into my computer. Oh, and CyberLife REALLY should've been more careful of their words in Connor's mind palace. I have a few things that I can use in there that they had 'Amanda' tell him, ask him, or demand of him."

"What do you mean?"

"CyberLife's big thing was they made sure to let everyone know that androids weren't living beings. Yet, they had Amanda tell you to bring Markus in alive. The correct sentence, if they were so sure androids weren't alive or living beings endowed with free will, would've been to say for you to bring it in fully functioning, or something of the like. They won't have a leg to stand on with all that I have on them, and the fact that THEY were the reason I left? CyberLife won't exist anymore when I'm done."

Gavin nodded his head in agreement. "Elijah and I will personally help you and Markus with New Jericho, since it was us that showed what deviants we could...the old Jericho. We'll make it whatever you and Markus design."

"You really aren't an ass?" Connor asked before he gave Gavin a smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Oh, yeah, before I forget, I meant to give you an improved version of the Dram Share program, but I gave you the original one instead. Nothing's really wrong with either, but the one you have reacts to Hanahaki Disease."

"What do you mean?" Hank asked with widened eyes.

"He means..." Elijah began. "...Connor can Dream Share with a human that is unconscious, but if that human develops Hanahaki Disease for him, then the human will be able to do the same thing to him. It's...a very lengthy and difficult explanation, but-"

"-but..." Gavin interrupted. "...if you want me to get rid of it, so that a human doesn't effect you, I can."

"Ah, that won't be necessary." Hank stated.

"What the fuck do you mean it won't be necessary!?" Gavin asked, clearly offended by Hank's words, but Elijah's stunned eyes obviously put two and two together as his eyes darted back and forth between Connor and Hank, before his features slowly slipped into a pleased grin.

"Gavin..." Elijah tried to begin to explain.

"No! Connor is his own person, and-"

"-Gavin!" Elijah shouted.

"WHAT!?" Gavin snapped.

"You're a moron." Elijah stated simply with a fond smile on his face.

"You little fucking-" Gavin moved to throw a punch at Elijah, but Connor quickly grabbed Gavin's arms and twisted it around his back.

"I would appreciate it if the two of you didn't fight in our home." He released Gavin, who then tried to straighten and calm himself.

"Fine." Gavin hissed out as he adjusted his sleeve.

"Gavin."

"What, Elijah!?" He snapped once again.

"Hank already had Hanahaki Disease, and Connor cured it. That's the only logical explanation for why it wouldn't be necessary to alter it."

"Wait...is that true?" Gavin asked Hank.

"Yeah. Cured it just before you guys arrived. Good thing, too, because I was actually dying."

"Fuck...sorry, Hank. Had no idea."

"Hey, it's okay. The two of you are here now, you're willing to help Connor and the others, I'm not dying a pretty death anymore, I think we're all good. What about you, Connor?"

"As long as Gavin shows more of his _actual_ personality at work, I'd say we're perfectly fine, but unfortunately, with deviancy, comes fatigue, so I've found."

"Indeed." Elijah nodded in agreement. "I have some upgrades in the works. You and I can talk about them tomorrow if you'd like. We'll leave the two of you to rest. Thank you for allowing us into your home, and for talking with us. Let's go, Gavin."

Elijah and Gavin left, but on their way out, Gavin asked Elijah, "Hey, can I stay at your place tonight? They killed a bunch of androids in front of mine, and I don't want to be there right now."

"Sure, but you're making dinner."

"Deal." Gavin closed the door behind them, leaving Hank and Connor in the room alone with all of that information.

"So..." Hank began.

"...yeah..." Connor nodded. "...that...was unexpected."

"They're brothers." Hank stated.

"They're brothers." Connor nodded slowly with a confused expression. "They're both my creators."

"You okay, Connor?"

"Hmm...it's a lot to process, both literally and figuratively. I think I'd like to just go to bed, if it's all the same to you."

"Uh...yeah...I'll make up the couch and-"

"-Actually, I was thinking that I could come to bed with you."

Hank's heart stuttered happily in his chest as a large smile crept on his face. "Yeah! I-I think that would be great. Um...are you actually tired?"

"I am. Perhaps I'll be the one to dream this time. I wonder if I'll be able to see you in my dreams like I could when I activated the Dream Share sensors and program."

"Who knows? Only one to find out." Hank said as he took Connor's hand and led him to the bedroom.


	10. Explanations

_Hank opened his eyes and looked around. He didn't recognize the area he was in at all. It was beautiful, calm, and warm. It was a gorgeous zen garden with beautiful wooden bridges that went from one platform to the next. There were even steel stepping stones with different flowers etched into the metal of the steps. "What is this place?" He asked, and at first he heard his voice echo only slightly at the beginning before it tapered off into normal speech._

_"Hank?" He heard Connor's voice to his right, so he looked. There he stood, wearing a white tank top, black jeans, and he was barefoot._

_"Connor? Are you dreaming?"_

_"I am, and you're here. Well, I guess I was right."_

_"What is this place?"_

_"The place I used to go when sending reports. When I would close my eyes. This is where I would meet Amanda."_

_"Why would you want to be here?" Hank scoffed as he looked around._

_"An android's consciousness or subconsciousness is rather different than a human's. You have infinite possibilities, because as humans, you are imaginative and creative in nature. I am only just figuring out how to navigate imagination and creativity along with everything else. Perhaps I'll be able to change the scenery more than I already have, but..."_

_"Wait...you changed it?" Hank questioned with a quirked brow._

_Connor waved his hand and showed Hank what it was like before. He showed Hank the summer, the autumn, and the snow storm, before he changed it back to what he preferred. "Yes, I changed it. I'm sure you'll recognize a lot of the flowers in here."_

_Hank looked around, and he did. Most if not all of the flowers he either puked up that one night, or coughed into his hand, were blooming and thriving all around the garden. "Well...how did I get here, though. Yeah, we did that weird double sided thing twice, but...you're actually dreaming, and I know for certain I'm not an android, so I can't Dream Share with you or whatever."_

_"Well, I was assigned to the DPD AND you initially, but not only that we have a link between us. One that was created the more and more software instabilities I experienced, and then I deepened the link by Dream Sharing with you. So, it could all just come down to a simple link and equaled wavelength in your brain and my processor. You also developed Hanahaki Disease because of your feelings for me."_

_"Right, so...we're linked. Are we going to be sharing all of our dreams?"_

_"I don't know, honestly. I can't say it's a bad thing."_

_"No, I can't say that either. So...we love each other. Truly, otherwise the disease wouldn't have gone away."_

_"Yes, but we have plenty of time to figure things out. Me, I need to figure out things about myself mainly. I know I like dogs, rain, thunder, the feel of Sumo's fur, and when I slid into bed with you...I knew that I immediately liked the feeling of your body pressed up against mine. I'm learning all kinds of things. I learned...that I couldn't bare the thought of losing you, especially when faced with the real reality of it. It...It felt as if...my heart was dying with you."_

_Hank nodded his head, because he could only imagine how that might feel, and he hoped it never became a reality for him. "Connor..." He began as he was reminded of his mortality. "...someday, I will die. Someday...I'll have to leave you."_

_"I'm aware, Hank. I'm very aware that I will live longer than you. If you'll um...permit me...I would...I would like to keep to what I had said earlier. I want to love you until you die. Whether that's from a wound or injury on the job, old age, or a medical condition, I want to be there for it. I...I know I'm a deviant now, but...a part of me...still wants to belong with you. To belong TO you. It's not like ownership. Not entirely, but...I want to belong to you in a way...that would make it clear no one could have you but me, and no one could have me but you."_

_"Connor..." Hank whispered out in shock. He knew he was in a weird dream world with Connor, but even so, his heart thundered against his chest while heat rushed to his cheeks._

_"I would like to pursue a romantic relationship with you."_

_"I...kind of thought that was obvious when we said 'I love you' to each other."_

_"So...are we partners...boyfriends...or..."_

_"Boyfriends." Hank shrugs. "No point in being shy about it." As soon as he said that, his phone went off and they both were ripped away from the dream._

Hank looked at his phone with a confused expression. "Who is it?"

"I don't know." He stated before he answered the phone. "Hello?"

_"Is this Lieutenant Hank Anderson?"_

"Yes, who is this?"

_"I want you to tell me what you've done with Connor."_

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

_"We received a report from someone we sent to look for Connor, that he got into a car with you. What have you done with him? He's a free android."_

"Yes, I know he's a free android."

Connor took the phone from Hank's hand and let out a heavy sigh with a shake of his head. He put the phone on speaker before he said, "Hello, Markus."

_"Connor? What has the human done to you? Are you okay?"_

"You're a hypocrite." Connor stated coldly, which stunned Hank into complete silence.

There was sputtering on the other end for a moment. _"What do you mean!?"_

"On the stage, you claimed that someday we could think of humans as our friends, well, I've had a friend in a human for some time now, and his name is Hank Anderson. A bit more than that actually, but I won't go into detail. He's not holding me captive, or anything else you've come to imagine. He helped me get the thousands of androids to you during the revolution. If it wasn't for him...I don't think I would've been able to do it as successfully." He then turned to Hank with a shy smile before his features turned into one that said he had an idea. "Hey, Hank, do you mind if Markus comes by either today or tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow. I'm beat. I need my sleep." Hank then gave a mischievous smirk to Connor, who then very quickly tried to mouth the word 'No' with the most mortified expression, but Hank wasn't going to have it. "Come back to bed, baby. I'm tired."

_"CONNOR!? WHAT DID HE MEAN BY THAT!? CONNOR!?"_

"I uh...I'll see you tomorrow, Markus. I'll send you the address either later tonight or tomorrow."

 _"No, Connor! Tell me what he-!"_ Connor hung up the phone and glared at Hank as he tossed the phone back, but there was no real bite to the intense gaze. There was fondness, exasperation, embarrassment, but to Hank's surprise, still an immense amount of love.

"You're going to be the death of me!" Hank whispered out in dumbfounded shock. "I embarrass the fuck out of you, and you still look at me with so much fucking love! You're unbelievable! Yeah, you'll be the death of me."

"I highly doubt that, Hank. I intend to improve the quality of life of my boyfriend."

"Christ, you're gonna change my food aren't you?"

"Do you object?"

"No. I wanted to try and be better if I could, so fuck it! Fine! Might as well allow you to pillage and thieve my food."

"I don't think that's quite what I'm going to do, but we could go on early morning runs with Sumo. He could use the exercise as well. We could buy you some exercise equipment and put it in the garage that you don't even use for your car."

"Damn! Just rearrange everything why don't you! The garage...will have to wait. I still...I can't-"

"Cole's things are in there, aren't they?" Connor asked with a soft and sympathetic voice.

"Yeah."

"Then it'll wait, but I will remind you every now and then. Perhaps I could learn about Cole through the objects in the garage."

"Yeah...maybe. Come on. I plan on getting a fuck ton of sleep before I deal with your...what did you call him at the CyberLife tower? Your brother? Oof...yeah...I need LOTS of sleep for that one."

"Do you want him to come by tomorrow morning or afternoon?"

"Might as well be morning. Have him come over at nine. I'll set an alarm...Jesus...I can't believe those four words just left my mouth, but I'll set an alarm for six in the morning, I'll eat whatever you make, we can go for a thirty minute run, be back at seven thirtyish, I can take a shower, and then have an hour after that to relax and prepare for your brother to show up."

"That's awfully detailed, Hank." Connor snorted. "Are we sure you're not an android, too?"

"Go the fuck to sleep, Connor." Hank chuckled before he slid back under the covers. He then wrapped an arm around Connor's middle once the android had listened, and he drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The run had actually been good, despite the areas they tried to avoid, and Sumo seemed to enjoy it, too, if him flopping onto the floor happily was anything to go by. After a while, the doorbell did eventually ring, and Connor got off the couch to answer it. "Hello, Markus. Come in."

Hank could see from the couch that Markus gave a short nod before he walked in. Hank then lifted himself off of the couch with a polite smile as he held his hand out. "My name's Hank Anderson. It's nice to meet you, Markus."

Markus' eyes widened incredibly as he then stared at Connor. "It's a handshake, Markus. I'm sure you remember what those are." Connor replied with an amused expression.

"I...yes! Of course, I..." He cleared his throat, despite not having any reason to, and he shook Hank's hand. "Markus Manfred. At least...if I can convince the political officials of a few laws...it will be. Now, I've come here-"

"-to discuss what I've done to Connor?"

"Exactly. You can't keep him forever! He's a free android! He freed up thousands of androids from CyberLife tower."

"Yeah. I know. I was there." Hank said as he crossed his arms.

"You were...what?"

"CyberLife figured out he became deviant, started up a double of him, and that double held me at gunpoint as we made our way to Connor. The double then tried to use me as a sick bargaining chip, but that didn't work. Connor and the double fought, couldn't tell who was who, pulled out my gun, asked three questions, and shot the double, when he tried to talk again after Connor got it right. Told him to do what he had to do, and I watched as he woke up the androids in the tower."

"Why would you help him?"

"Because I love him." Hank stated simply with a shrug. "You do crazy shit for the ones you love, even if they're bat-shit crazy themselves."

"I resent that remark, Hank."

"Resent it all you like, you're the one that's going to pillage and plunder my kitchen in two weeks."

"You agreed to be better. You wanted to be better."

"Yeah, but I KNEW I was crazy before I met you." Hank chuckled lightly before he continued. "Markus, I wouldn't harm Connor. Granted, my opinions on android before I met him...weren't great."

"You had your reasons, Hank."

Hank sent a grateful smile towards Connor. "Thanks, Con, but that's not really a good excuse." He returned his gaze to a completely stunned and baffled Markus. "I wasn't nice to him in the beginning, but...I am now."

"H-How...How can I trust what you say? You're with the DPD. They were hunting our kind and using Connor to do it!"

"How much do you know about Hanahaki Disease?"

"I've heard and read about it. It's a Disease that begins once someone acknowledges their love for someone, and they don't believe they have a chance with them. The only cures are affection from the loved one, or the loved one returning that love."

"So a fair bit." Hank nodded. "Connor cured me. Does that clarify things for you?"

"You...really fell in love with an android?"

"I did." Hank nodded. "He's a handful, but yeah. Also, it's to my understanding that you finished his deviancy."

"What...do you mean finished?"

"He experienced deviancy before he got to you. I was the only one who saw it in private, and allowed him to just...be. He's a smartass when left unattended."

"Not true!" Connor humphed with crossed arms. "I'm a smartass all of the time."

"See?" Hank laughed as he made a hand gesture towards Connor.

"Hank is correct, though." Connor stated with a small smile. "I had been experiencing deviancy before I made it to Jericho with my orders to kill you. When you spoke to me, it was relieving in a way. Someone finally asked the same questions I had been asking myself. Then, I saw the wall and I tore it down."

"I beat mine down." Markus nodded.

"Thank you, Markus."

"Hmm? For what?"

"For helping him, of course. Now, you two may be able to stand forever, but I can't. I'm going to go make myself some coffee and sit at the dining table. Markus, there should be thirium pouches in the fridge now. We picked some up a little while back. Help yourself."

"You're...very hospitable to someone who was impolite towards you on the phone."

"Hazard of the job, Markus. Most of the time I encounter someone who is impolite. I'm used to it. I'm either being yelled at, cussed at, attacked, or shot at. Don't worry about it. Connor, you wanna tell him what your two creators said last night?"

"Wait, what does he mean TWO creators?" Markus asked as he followed Connor into the kitchen.

Connor grabbed a thirium pouch out of the fridge and began explaining everything to Markus starting from his activation and to the moment where Markus walked into Hank's house. When he was finished with the explanation, it was one in the afternoon, and he realized he hadn't made Hank lunch yet. "Shit, sorry, Hank...I need to make you lunch."

"You...don't have to or need to do anything for humans anymore." Markus stated as he tried to get over the shock of everything.

"That's not what he means." Hank supplied. "He's made it his own personal mission to take care of me. I told him he doesn't have to, but it was something he decided he wanted to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to do a great deal of my own cooking, but if it makes him genuinely happy, I'm not going to step in the way of it."

"You're truly an amazing human, Hank." Markus breathed out. "Perhaps others can learn from the two of you."

"Oh, God, I hope not!" Hank bellowed out a laugh. "I wasn't nice to him in the beginning, I'm an alcoholic, and I was suicidal."

"Markus, I AM truly sorry about Simon." Connor said slowly as he looked down at his bare feet.

"No, don't worry about it. I think I have an idea to help him, if what you said about Elijah and...Gavin Reed...were true. It would be an incredible bout of irony if we received CyberLife Tower as New Jericho as well. I accept their offer. I'll also say that I was shocked to see you in human clothes when I walked in. Hank must've bought those for you."

"He did. I picked them out though."

"Is there anything specific YOU want me to bring forth to the politicians?"

"Allow androids to have jobs, allow androids to have families, allow androids to own property, allow androids to no longer be segregated, and..." He looked at Hank, who then gave him a questioning look in return. "...allow androids to get married to whom ever they want to, whether it be another android or another human."

Hank's eyes went wide as a large smile appeared on his face. "You know, one of these days, you really will give me a heart attack."

"Not with your health as it is. You won't have a heart attack." Connor stated kindly before he looked at Markus again, who was smiling at the two of them. "Do you think that would be possible?"

"It goes along with what I asked at the news tower, but that last one...might be tricky. I will try my best with them. I will also speak with Elijah and Gavin about a few things, but I would like it if you were with me."

"I'd be honored." Connor grinned. "I just wonder when the city will be back to normal."

"I'm not sure." Markus shrugged honestly. "Given everything that's happened, it could be a week, a month, or possibly longer. We'll have to wait and see, but I've already had officials trying to contact me, and journalists have been searching for anyone from Jericho, so that they could take statements from them."

"Ah, that is something I WON'T be there for."

"I understand." Markus nodded. "Lieutenant..."

"Please, just call me Hank."

"Very well." He laughed out lightly. "Hank, I apologize for my behavior. I wasn't aware of the situation, and this...was a learning experience. The man I looked after, Carl Manfred, he was like a father to me, so I really should've known better than to judge, but to think this is possible...it gives me hope. I have to go now, though. North was apparently bombarded by a few journalists and she's covering for me as we speak."

"Go on, then." Hank smiled. "Rescue your girl."

A light tint of blue crossed Markus' face as he let out a nervous laugh. "Yes...she is that. She's...my girlfriend. Huh...never thought I'd say that." Markus left with a final farewell, leaving Hank and Connor alone once again.

"Well...that was something." Hank commented with a slight snort of laughter.

"It certainly was. What would you like for lunch?"

"Any chance I can have something that's not completely healthy for me?"

"Well, the way I'm going to make it, it will still be marginally healthy. I gathered ingredients for lasagna when we went to the store."

"YES! That'll do it! How long will it take you to prepare?"

"Not long, but it will take some time to bake."

"That's fine. I'll have a snack while I wait."

* * *

Eventually, after Hank finished his lasagna, he received another call, and this time, due to the ring tone of 'I'm about to whip somebody's ass'. "Hey, Jeffrey! Everything okay?"

"You want to explain to me why both Reed and Elijah Kamski are not only talking in my precinct like a couple of old friends, but why they just walked up to me...BOTH asking for me to keep Connor on the force?"

"We already told you-" Elijah could be heard in the background with amused exasperation.

"-Yeah and I don't fucking believe you!"

"What did they tell you?"

"That they're brothers, that they both created Connor, and that they already spoke with you about a few things."

"They're telling the truth, Jeffrey. Gavin came over to fix Connor, and they explained everything in detail. They aren't lying. Connor and I will be there in a few, okay?"

"Fine, just get over here to explain this madness!" In true Jeffrey fashion, he hung up before saying bye.

"I take it we're needed?" Connor inquired.

"Yeah, like you wouldn't believe. Come on, and stay in normal clothes. I kind of want to see the precinct's reaction."

"I'll go get changed then. I still have some food on my clothes."

"Okay." Hank nodded his head as they both went to his bedroom, because he looked down and saw sauce on his shirt.

"Wait, Hank, there's...one thing that I want to do now that I...can feel."

"Oh? What is that?"

"Can I...kiss you?" He asked shyly.

Hank swallowed a lump in his throat before he brought a hand up to Connor's cheek, while the other held his waist and pulled him closer. He gently pressed his lips to Connor's, and the reaction was instantaneous. Connor let out a keening moan as he wrapped his arms around Hank's neck, and threaded the man's hair through his fingers as he deepened the kiss. Hank's mind was dizzy, but he couldn't stop. He delved his tongue into Connor's mouth, dragging out another moan as the android's knees apparently buckled. Deciding that was enough for now, Hank pulled away from the kiss, and witnessed Connor pant as he held a hand to his chest. "Is that what you wanted?"

"B-Better than what I wanted. We um...we can get dressed...now."

"Can you stand?" Hank asked with a flare of confidence he hadn't felt in a long time.

"I um...yes. Maybe. I'll try."

"Well, damn. I guess I still got it." Hank said as he moved to the closet to get dressed in a hippy patterned shirt, a dark brown jacket, black jeans, and his normal socks and shoes.

Connor took his own clothes to the bathroom to change once he was able to move, but when he came out, Hank admired the outfit he chose. Connor wore plain dark gray sweater, dark blue jeans, black socks, black sneakers, a black leather jacket, and a dark green beanie. "Is it too much black?"

"Nope! I think you look good!"

"Well, that's all that matters, I suppose." Connor beamed before he took Hank's keys to the car.

"I take it you're driving?"

"Yes." Connor nodded as they left the house.

* * *

Once at the police station, Hank had to stifle a laugh from all the dumbfounded looks they were sending Connor's way. He looked really human, and they all knew that there was no way Connor was wearing HIS clothes, and the stores had been closed since the most recent march. People added two and two together rather quickly, which made them even more confused. "Hank!" Jeffrey sighed in relief. "Finally! They're in my office." Jeffrey then took a look at Connor and smiled. "Good to see you at least have better taste in clothes than Hank."

"Hey!"

"Come on, let's go." Jeffrey said. "The rest of you! Get back to work! We're swamped as it is, and I don't need all of you, standing there, waiting for flies to go into your mouths!" Everyone quickly went back to their tasks, but it didn't stop the whispers.

"Jesus, Jeffrey, don't smother them in love."

"How else will they know I care?" He asked sarcastically before he opened the door to his office.

Once it closed, Elijah waved at Hank. "Good to see you again, Lieutenant."

"Yeah, you, too, Elijah." Hank grumbled.

"Okay, so, someone tell me what the fuck is going on. Gavin is never this pleasant, you're telling me that Gavin Reed is related to Elijah Kamski, but not only that, but that he helped Elijah Kamski build the deviant leader Markus AND Connor!? No offense fellas, but this is fucking hard to believe."

The four of them began explaining everything they could to Jeffrey, which took about two and a half hours. By the end of it, Jeffrey's jaw was dropped at all of it, and mostly speechless. "...so you see..." Elijah spoke. "...that's another reason why I would like for Connor to remain at the DPD if at all possible. He would be an excellent asset to the DPD, but as it is, there will likely be a climb in android related crimes, whether it be crimes dealt towards or by androids. He can see blue blood long after it evaporates. He's also proven his skill as a detective, if my visual files aren't mistaken."

"What's in it for you, Mr. Kamski?" Jeffrey asked. "You don't strike me as the generous type."

"That's because he isn't." Gavin stated. "Usually."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, to be honest with you, Captain Fowler..." Elijah started with a focused expression. "I quite enjoy my time with my brother, and he enjoys his time with me. I know I come off as arrogant, pompous, and a narcissist, but I promise you, I only have my brother's interest, and the interests of Connor's at heart. I understand that you can't pay Connor due to the current situations, but if you would allow me to know how much he WOULD be making, were he employed, I would like to give Connor that myself. It'll of course be under my name for the time being, but it'll be an account Connor will be able to use as he sees fit."

"You said you look after the interests of your brother, too. What do you want for him?"

"Oh, it's not just for Gavin. This would benefit you and the other officers as well. To my understanding, officers receive basic first aid training and whatnot. I think it would be imperative, given everything that's happened, if they were to learn the same for androids. I will also offer up high tech technology that will be able to be implemented in your observation room, in order to determine the stress levels of an android, which will gain you optimal interrogation tactics based on the situation. At an optimal stress level, an android will confess to almost anything. It will also have a lie detector built in that will basically glow red on the screen if they're lying, or green if they aren't. I have tested that out for three years until perfection, so I assure you, there are no bugs in it. Anyway, Gavin can teach about androids, because he knows as much as I do. We've worked together for so many years now, and many things concerning androids could actually be accredited to his designs and opinions. Many of MY designs or opinions were thrown out based on his judgement alone. Gavin is the only person that can convince me to change my mind about anything, unless the other person is of significant importance to me like Hank or Connor."

"How is Hank important to you?"

"He saved mine and my brother's life a long time ago." Elijah stated kindly.

"We owe Hank our lives." Gavin said as he nodded his head. "He put our dad away when he was about to kill us, because we said we were going to go to the cops about him. He busted through the door with a group of people, and told us to run. The others didn't care about us. They addressed our dad. Tried to talk sense into him while he was high as fuck. They kept trying to talk him into putting the gun down, but Hank knew better. He told us to run, and he shot our Dad in the leg before he tried to come after us."

"It's another reason why I not only had CyberLife assign Connor to the DPD, but to Hank as well."

"You still haven't answered my question, Mr. Kamski. What do you get out of this. You're giving us Connor, you're giving us technology, you're giving us knowledge, you're giving Connor funds, but what do you get out of this whole thing?"

"Aside from sanity, and the ability to sleep better at night, I would like for all android related crimes to also be filed to me."

"WHAT!?" Jeffrey shouted. "WHY!?"

"Because, I'm THE leading expert on androids, and I didn't create them to be what CyberLife wanted, as I told you. We've also told you what I plan to do with CyberLife and their tower. I don't want CyberLife being able to get a hold of ANYTHING related to android crimes, and the best way to keep from that happening is for the files to be sent directly to me, and ONLY to those involved on the case. I will create a secure link for that to happen, if you need me to, but CyberLife is furious, terrified, and they're going to do ANYTHING they can to turn this around for themselves. I will NOT have them take Connor away, and he would be their first target. I have surveillance footage that proves what they would've done, and I will take it to court against them when I can. Basically, once he returned to CyberLife, if he hadn't fought his way out in the elevator, there was a team of gunmen ready to kill him, rather than take him away to be disassembled and reevaluated. Just for deviating. CyberLife will get worse, I assure you. I also assure you, that Gavin and I can help with that, but only if you agree to everything I have said and asked for. I am giving so much for what may seem like a trifle to you, but if CyberLife gets a hold of those files, they will take it to the news media, the press, congress, and anyone who will listen, and it will darken the DPD."

"You're sure of this?" Fowler asked with a worried expression.

"More sure than anything, Captain." Elijah answered confidentially. "I understand wholeheartedly if you cannot give me the files that will likely be arriving on your desk sooner rather than later, and if that is the case, I will still do everything I can to keep CyberLife out of the DPD's business, but it will be much more difficult if I don't have the files as well as those trusted with the case."

"What you're asking...would have to also be approved by-"

"-I've got all the necessary signatures in my coat pocket. I've made a copy for you so that you can have it. I called up a few friends and favors while the revolution was in full swing, and they agreed that CyberLife had gone too far. These signatures were for IF the revolution ended peacefully and IF the president declared that androids were a new form of intelligent life. If not, I was too shred this and never breathe a word. Thankfully, it worked out in my favor. So, here is your copy. You can read it if you like. It's completely legitimate. The only thing was, we faxed back and forth after putting our signatures on it. Amazing that in this day and age, faxing things is still a thing we do."

Fowler took the envelop, opened it, read it, and nodded his head. "Everything's in order. Fine, I agree to all of your terms, but not all at once, okay? Bit by bit. First Connor rejoins, gets paid by you for his work, and then we slowly work up to the rest. Deal?"

Elijah let out a victorious laugh as he moved to hold out his hand. "Deal, Captain Fowler! You won't regret this!"

"I sure hope not. The whole country is turned upside down right now. We could definitely use Connor. If anyone argues, I can show them this letter of yours, saying that Connor is approved by the state to continue working under supervision, which will be Hank."

"Again, thank you, Captain Fowler."

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome. Now, all of you out of my office. It's getting cramped in here."

They all left, and to their surprise, Tina, Ben, and Chris were waiting for them just outside with confused gazes, but apparently that didn't matter to Gavin or Elijah, because Hank watched the two brothers hug in relief, which caused Tina, Ben, and Chris' jaws to drop. "W-Wait...are the two of you..." Tina trailed off as she pointed at Gavin and Elijah. "...together?"

"EW! NO!" Elijah and Gavin both grimaced at the same time. "We're brothers." They chorused together.

"Right. Good one." Chris laughed. "How much is he paying you, Mr. Kamski? I promise it's not much."

"He's not paying me anything, but he COULD pay me with dinner later."

"What the fuck!? No! It's your turn to buy ME dinner!"

"How about dinner at my place, hmm?" Elijah asked as he crossed his arms. "I'll make your mom's enchilada casserole."

"Fine, and I'll make your mom's chocolate pudding." Gavin said with a smile.

"They're not lying, you three. They really are related. They're half brothers, now leave them alone, alright?"

"Oh, fuck no am I leaving this alone!" Tina gripes. "My best friend hides this kind of secret from me-!?"

"-Tina, I promise to explain later, okay? There's reasons why no one else was allowed to know, and honestly, until Elijah says otherwise-"

"-It's fine by me, Gavin." Elijah interrupted as he put an arm around Gavin's shoulders. "People were eventually going to find out anyway. I'll need you in the coming months anyway, so no point in hiding it."

"Whoa...okay...yeah, we're so going to talk about it later."

"Okay." Gavin nodded with a smile.

"And...a smile. In public. Fuck me, I want to know to." Chris said.

"I'm too old for this." Ben grumbled as he walked away, and soon Chris and Tina followed behind him.

Elijah and Gavin separated, and Fowler reminded Hank that he still had the day off, so Connor and Hank left as well, both feeling relieved by the small meeting they had in Fowler's office.


	11. Together

Once they were home, Hank was about to say something to Connor, but was quickly silenced when the android pushed him against the closed front door, and began kissing him. _'Oh, fuck yes!'_ Hank thought loudly as he quickly gave in to the kiss. He then felt Connor slide a leg in between his legs, and they both stopped once they both realized there was a growing hardness. "Um...Connor?"

"Hank, please?"

"Please what, Con?" He asked, desperate to know the answer.

"Please, I...I...I want to have sex with you."

"Well, shit!" He laughed as he pulled Connor in for a hug. "You certainly don't mince words, do you?"

"Not when it's something that matters to me, no, I don't want to. I understand if that's going far too fast for us, but-"

"-Fine, but Connor...have you had sex before?"

"No, I was just going off of instinct."

"Well, then let's see what instinct tells you, and I'll help where you-" Apparently instinct told Connor to interrupt Hank with tongue, lips, and slowly roaming hands that caused him to let out a low moan. Hank made quick work of taking Connor's jacket and shirt off, while Connor, in turn, did the same for Hank. Once their jackets and shirts were off they looked at each other, and Hank felt ashamed for how his body gained weight, but underneath Connor's gaze, his heart melted. "I know I'm not much, but-"

"-You're incredibly attractive, Lieutenant."

 _'Oh, fuck, the bastard is gonna kill me by calling me by my title during sex!'_ Hank captured his lips once more, slowly leading Connor to the bedroom. "I think you're crazy. I think this is crazy, but I'd be a liar if I said I didn't want this." Hank said as he took his shoes off while Connor did the same thing. They then worked to get each other the rest of the way out of their clothes.

Once out of their clothes, they stared at each other. Connor at Hank's rather large size, and Hank at the fact Connor even had a cock to begin with, and it was impressive. "Hank..." Connor whined before he experimentally wrapped his hand around Hank's cock.

"Fuck!" Hank breathed out like he had been punched in the gut. Pure intense pleasure shot through his body like lightning, and he couldn't get enough of it. "Move your hand, Connor."

"Like this?" Connor asked as he slid his hand up and down the length of it.

"Shit! Yeah! Like that!" Hank let out breathy moans with each movement, Connor gave, but eventually had to lay down on the bed. "Fuck, why are you good at this?"

"I'll take that as a compliment." Connor grinned.

"You bett-AHHH FUCK, CONNOR!" Hank moaned when Connor took him all into his mouth without any trouble at all, and apparently without a gag reflex. When Connor started moving up and down, actually sucking, and at a few points just licking the tip while he still engulfed Hank's cock, Hank soon became a moaning and wrecked mess. Eventually, he felt a telling pull and heat, so he had to urge Connor to get off.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Fuck no. I just...wasn't...gonna last much longer if you kept that up!"

"Oh, I want you to finish inside me though."

At those words, Hank had to practically lunge his own hand forward to grab the base of his cock, to keep it from exploding. "Christ, you're gonna make me come embarrassingly fast." When he felt Connor crawl on top of him, his eyes widened. "What are you doing?" Connor didn't answer him. Instead, he lined himself up, and then lowered himself onto Hank's cock. Hank soon felt a warm, slick, and ready heat covering him, and causing him to groan in ecstasy. "C-Connor! H-How?"

"I can self lubricate, self heat, and self prepare. I don't know why, and I'm sure I don't want to ask either Elijah or Gavin, but I'm not complaining at the moment, are you, Lieutenant."

"NNNNGGHHH! No! Fuck No! Shit! You feel so good!"

"May I move now?"

"If you don't, I'm going to flip us over and do it for you."

"Perhaps next time, Lieutenant."

"Stop calling me that in bed."

"But when I do..." Connor said as he lowered himself to Hank's nipples, giving one of them a teasing circular lick, causing Hank to moan and grip at Connor before the android continued to speak, "...your heart rate increases in a way that shows desire or arousal. I like it, and I can tell that you like it, too...Lieutenant." He then started to slowly lift himself up just before bringing himself back down.

"Oh, Connor!" Hank moaned as he placed his hands on Connor's hips. "You've no idea how good it feels!"

"If it feels as good for you as it does for me, then yes!" Connor moaned as he repeated the action. "I-It's like you're filling me in a way I didn't know I was- AH! E-Empty!" Their moans filled the room, and as Hank grew closer and closer to the edge, he decided to take Connor into his hand, causing the android's movements to stutter while he tilted his head back with a loud and lewd moan, which ended up tipping Hank over the edge. After that, Connor released all over Hank's chest while Hank filled him up inside, both moaning each other's name like a prayer lost long and forgotten in a time that neither knew existed until then.

Once they were both spent, Connor rolled off of Hank and wrapped an arm around the Lieutenant's stomach. "That was..." Hank began.

"Yeah...it was amazing. Much better than what I had imagined on the way to the precinct."

"You...imagined?"

"Oh, yes. When we came home, I couldn't take it anymore. My thirium pump was aching and I had to force a wide variety of lewd thoughts away while we were talking with Captain Fowler."

"You find me that attractive?"

"I find you that desirable and arousing."

Hank's heart skipped a beat happily at his words, and he felt even more determined to make himself better for Connor. "Well, how about we take a shower together. We both need one."

"But I like the feeling of your come slipping out of me."

"Yeah, well, trust me, you won't like the feeling of it drying. Come on, shower, both of us. You'll get to see me wet and naked."

"Hmm...that makes it worth it." Connor said before he gave a kiss to Hank's cheek. "Afterwards, I'll make you a chicken salad recipe that I found online."

"Oh, come on!"

"You'll enjoy it. I promise."

"Okay, I'm trusting you." He said as they both got up and made their way to the shower.

When they both finally got in, Hank took a poof ball and soaped it up for Connor, so that he could wash him. "Hank, you don't have to-"

"-I want to." Hank interrupted quickly as he slowly washed Connor. Once he was completely soaped up, he had Connor stand under the showers water, and rubbed the soap bubbles off with his hands, earning him a deep blue blush on Connor's face. "We just had amazing sex, and this is what makes you blush?"

"I think...being touched...so gently...almost...reverently...is a um...turn on of sorts...for me. I'm..."

Hank looked down with a furrowed brow and understood. "Oh...it's making you want sex again."

"Yes."

"Well, perhaps I can help with that later." If possible the blush on Connor deepened.

"Can I...can I wash you as well?"

"Sure, I don't see why not, but we didn't get your hair yet."

"Okay, you can wash my hair, then I get to wash you."

"Sounds fair to me." Hank smiled before kissing Connor's lips.

Eventually the shower ended, dinner was had, Hank enjoyed it, and they both silently wondered what the future would bring for them both.

* * *

In two months, Connor would introduce Hank to North, Josh, and a fixed up Simon.

In six months, androids would be approved to have jobs.

In a year, androids would be legally allowed to wed anyone of their choosing.

In a year and a half, Elijah would present the upgrade for androids to be able to taste, eat, and drink.

In a year and seven months, androids became equal to humans in rights and crime.

In a year and eight months, Gavin and Elijah would work together with the members of Jericho to reconstruct CyberLife tower into NEW Jericho, which wasn't called 'New Jericho', but 'Lucy's Tower' in honor of a beloved member of Jericho that had fallen during the Jericho raid.

In two years, Elijah brought forth all the evidence he had mentioned, and some he didn't mention, to court in order to take down the core members of CyberLife. He won the case, and those at the head of CyberLife were charged with many accounts against humans, AND androids, as it was discovered through the files that Elijah was promised, that they tried to revert androids by kidnapping them, torturing them, and hiring others to do so, thinking it wouldn't be traced back to them. They also attempted to re-take over Connor's programming, but it came up as a red flag for Elijah, and he quickly kicked the would-be hackers out of Connor's mind.

In two years and a month, Carl Manfred would pass peacefully in his sleep, and would give everything he owned, as well as his money, to Markus and Gavin. Elijah refused the offer and gave his extra share to Gavin.

In two years and two months, segregation all over the country was completely banned and was deemed a chargeable offense.

In two years and two and a half months, any crimes against androids were treated more severely than they were a year prior, and were dubbed hate crimes.

In two and a half years, 'Lucy's Tower' was finished, and both Hank and Connor were invited for her grand opening. Neither knowing what the other had planned.


	12. A Pretty Damn Good Life

"Hank! Connor! Good of you to make it!" North called out, giving both of them hugs.

"Good to see you, too, North." Hank laughed once they left her embrace.

"You look good, Hank!" North said. "He's really shaped you up."

"Yeah, well..." Hank chuckled as he looked at Connor, and that's when he realized that they were dressed exactly like they were in that one dream. They were both wearing tuxes and Connor was wearing a red bow-tie, while he was wearing a blue bow-tie. Realizing he stopped talking, he cleared his throat and looked at North, whose hair was up in an elegant pony tail with glitter in it. Her dress was black with silver sequence at the bottom of it, and it had long, white, transparent sleeves. "...You look beautiful."

"Awe! Thanks, Hank! The others are inside already. Though, the top floor is reserved for later tonight when the stars are all out. It's a surprise from Connor to you."

"North!" Connor scolded.

"Hey, everyone's talking about it, but they're being vague as well. Don't worry."

"A surprise, huh?" Hank chuckled as he slipped his hands in his pocket, feeling for the small black velvet box. "Fine by me. I have one for him, too."

They went inside and were greeted by many of the guests that appeared. They exchanged pleasantries, ate some of the delicious food that was laid out for those who could eat, and a lot of them discussed looks, money, the tower, the events of the past two years and some odd months, and how each other were.

Eventually, it came time for most of the guests to leave. The politicians, journalists, news media, and other nosy people. Once they were gone, and left the androids of 'Lucy's Tower', Gavin, Captain Fowler, Elijah, Tina, Chris, Ben, Hank, and Connor, they all went up to the top tower for Connor's surprise to Hank. "Close your eyes, Hank." Connor requested, so Hank obeyed.

Hank heard the door open as Connor took hold of his hands and pulled him along. When he heard the door shut, he wanted to open them, but he knew he wasn't allowed to yet. He then heard heavy curtains opening up, and he had to seriously restrain himself from opening his eyes too soon. "Can I open them now?"

"Okay..." Connor whispered. "...open your eyes, Hank."

When Hank opened his eyes, he couldn't believe what he saw. It was just like the dream! It was the ballroom, and outside the windows, he could see the stars and the night sky, along with a soft white and yellow glow from down below, indicating the city lights from afar. "Connor..." He whispered out as he looked around. It was EXACTLY what he remembered from both the last time he was in the ballroom in reality, and in the dream. "...how?"

"I kept a visual recording of the ballroom and had Elijah and Gavin help me construct it. They also found the original plans for the ballroom you knew."

"B-But...why?" Hank asked, fully aware that tears were slowly making their way down his cheeks.

"Because I love you, Hank." Connor shrugged as if that was all the explanation he needed, and Hank supposed...it was.

Hank let out a soft laugh before he took Connor's hands and kissed them. "This makes my surprise for you even more perfect."

"Oh?" Connor questioned with a curious smile.

Hank knew there were others who were smiling knowingly about the surprise, such as Fowler, Gavin, Elijah, Markus, and North, but others were just as confused as Connor. To make it clearer than ever. Hank knelt down on one knee as he pulled out the velvet box from his pocket. He opened it up to reveal a silver ring with two birthstones. The birthstone for August, which was Peridot, and the other was the birthstone for September, which was a Sapphire. It was North's idea since Connor was activated in August and Hank was born in September. The gems were formed so that they made equal sides of a heart. "I know we moved pretty fast, Connor, and I haven't done this in a VERY long time..." Hank began, and he saw Connor cover his mouth as tears fell from his eyes. "...but I'm gonna try my best and hope I don't mess it up. I love you, and if anyone told me I'd be here, with you, like this, I would've thought they were completely crazy, but it turns out, I'm the crazy one. I love everything about you. You're eyes, your hair, even when it messes up in the morning, and it takes you thirty minutes to fix it. I love the way you smile, laugh, and the face you make when you eat a cupcake. I love how infuriating you can be, how stubborn you are, and how...even when we fight...you still look at me like I'm the most important thing in the world. You've made me a better man, not just physically, or mentally, once I started working out more and went to AA meetings, but emotionally. I'm in love with you, and I don't plan on stopping, so...I was wondering...will you marry me?"

"YES!" Connor choked out around a sob as he fell to his own knees and hugged Hank before deciding to kiss him. He then held out his left hand expectantly, and was pleased to see it was a perfect fit. "I thought I was gonna have to be the one to ask, Hank."

"What do you mean?" Hank asked with a tilt of his head as Connor helped him up.

Connor then took out a velvet box of his own, and opened it. The ring was nearly completely identical, but the two birthstones were on opposite sides. "I was going to ask you after our first dance in here, but you beat me to it."

"W-Well..." Hank started with a wobbling lip. "...If it's any consolation, honey...My answer is yes."

"It better be." Connor sniffled before he kissed Hank again. Everyone cheered and there were a few 'finally's' heard, but they ignored them.

Once the music began, Hank and Connor took the dance floor and started dancing slowly, gazing into each other's eyes. "I have an idea for the wedding." Hank said eventually.

"What is it?" Connor asked as he was twirled by his fiance.

"The flowers that I coughed up...I remember all of them. We could have those flowers at the wedding."

"I'd love that."

"Good, and I love you, soon-to-be Connor Anderson."

"I love you, too, Hank Anderson."

Eventually others joined the dance floor with them and they all danced the night away, smiling brighter than the stars outside. Meanwhile, Hank was thanking whoever had listened to him that day in Jimmy's bar, and he was thanking who or whatever came up with Hanahaki Disease for humans, because rather than dying a pretty death, he was living a pretty damn good life.


End file.
